The beginning of all things
by Carrie Asagiri
Summary: Chapter 6 uploaded!!The year is 2038. Each Knight Saber had a life before the team. And Priss is stalked by someone...A prequel to 2040.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 and all characters and names are copyright of AIC/JVC.

Author's note: This chapter has been updated and the grammar's errors were fixed, thanks to my friend and beta reader Analogk37. The feedback will be always welcome ^_^.

BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040

"THE BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS"

CHAPTER 1

By Carrie Asagiri

 Beta Reader: Analogk37

       November, 2038.   

Like every Saturday night for almost a year, Priscilla Asagiri worked at Hot Legs. Actually, performing with Sekiria had helped her a lot. Though they didn't earn much money, she still felt free on stage, undressing her emotions in front of the audience that always acclaimed her. Singing was like a drug she needed to feel alive.

That night while was preparing for the show, she found herself looking into the dressing room mirror in front her. She couldn't help but recall the recent past, both joyful and painful at the same time. The last five years of her life hadn't given much in the way of happiness. But just when she seemed to put the past behind her, the pain took her life over once again. 

Her eyes clouded for a moment with tears that she tried to contain. Her gaze was straight into the picture on the mirror. An image from her memories was reflected along with her, an image of someone else who was the love of her life some months ago.

" I wish you were here right now."- she whispered, when a knock in the door awoke her from her trance.

Fox, the Sekiria bassist, strode into the room.

"Priss, on stage in 3 minutes. You ready?"

" Yeah, I'm coming."

" Something wrong?"

" No."

Fox left the room, knowing that Priss usually wasn't very eloquent with her answers.

*****

Darkness, almost a hundred people around her. The adrenaline starts to flow through her body. The lights turn on, the first chords resound and the crowd gives in to the frenzy in order to adore their goddess. Priss closes her eyes while singing the lines of her

favorite song. In her mind, memory flashes start to invade her. Happy moments with friends, motorcycle races in Tokyo's streets, a caress, a cuddle, a kiss. Opening her eyes, her vision is filled with people shouting and jumping with the music.

_"kon'ya wa HARIKE-N  anata ni HARIKE-N tsutaetai no Loving You…loving you_

_kon'ya__ wa HARIKE-N  mou ichido HARIKEN-N dakishimetai Touch! Burning Touch!"_

She can't believe that all these people are here for her. Do they love her? Do they adore her? She doesn't care, this is the present, she's free. The song ends, the ovation is louder, the hands are up imploring, they want more. The night is just beginning. A little

pause, a new song starts. A ballad, it's like a balsam for the public, and for her as well. 

She closes her eyes and the memories start to flow in her mind again. The lyrics recreate her past. Shared experiences with someone who can't be anymore. Without realizing it, a tear furrows her cheek.

_"kono ame ga subete o nurashite hashaida kisetsu o hodo iteku_

_ me o tojite nagareru namida ni kasa ha iranai  saigo no ame hitori dakara"_

So the night passed, song after song bringing back to life the raw emotions from the past. The show ends, the audience asks for more, and Priss spoils them. At last it all ends and she feels trapped again in the reality that she hates so much. She descends from the scenery. A drink will be perfect to end the night. She sits down at the bar, the goddess descended among the humans.    

While she is drinking her beer, she feels someone touching her hair from behind. Roughly, she turns around to find a grotesque man watching her with lust in his eyes.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Hey, what's wrong babe? Why so bitchy?"

The guy starts to caress her face. Priss grips the hand strongly, pulling him close enough for the alcoholic stench on his breath to turn her stomach.

She pushes him away with a "Fuck you" thrown in for good measure.

His manhood swelled and encouraged by drink, he decides to continue.   

"What's wrong you fucking bitch? I'm not enough man for you?" he asks, grabbing ahold of her left arm tightly. Priss isn't afraid. She's confronted men like him plenty of times. This very kind of situation was all too common, occuring almost every single weekend.

The man continues to hold onto her.  She comes in close and passes her free arm around him like a hug, then leans towards his ear and whispers...

"Fuck you, fucking son of bitch!" At the same time she raises her right knee and kicks him between his legs. Bending and whimpering from the pain, he's forced to leave her alone.

"You'll pay for this bitch!"

Priss didn't pay any attention. She looked over at him, finished her drink, and left. Nobody was aware of what happened. There weren't any rules there. The bustle and untidiness ruled in the club. She knew that her sanctuary was on the stage. However, once out, she became just another prey for the hunters.

Deciding that enough was enough for the night, she headed to the dressing room to change her clothes. She was thinking of going home and resting, maybe starting work on a new song.

In the corridor that leads to the rooms a figure lurked in the shadows. Priss noticed but cautiously kept going. Was a taller man judging by the silhouette.

"You're quite brave" said the man. 

"Who's there?" Priss asked, recognizing something familiar in his voice.

The man walked out of the corridor's shadows and lit a cigarette, showing his tall and sturdy figure, dark skin and long and black hair tied with a ponytail. He looked at Priss for a long while, bordering on eternity.  

"...and you sing pretty well too," he added, finishing his complement.

Priss stared at him with astonishment. She knew who he was, but this was the last place she expected to meet him. She had known him for a year now and, thanks to him, hadn't had to buy a new bike. He knew her motorcycle very well as he had made it with his own hands. In addition to being her mechanic, he was a good friend as well.

"What's wrong? You don't seem happy to see me."

Priss was still silent, unable to avoid the embarrassment.

"No... isn't that... it's just I didn't expect to meet you here..." she wavered without finding the right words. "What the hell are you doing here anyway?" she asked with particular rudeness.

"I saw your show advertised in a street poster and I was curious to see you actually sing."

"Come on! I thought you weren't interested in these kinds of places... I always invited you, but you never came."

"I'm sorry that I didn't accept before, but Hiroshi was always there..."

"Nigel..." Priss' embarrassment grew worse with the fact that Hiroshi's name was mentioned, momentarily paralyzing her.

"Hiroshi?"

"You were with him then."

Priss was ready to open her mouth to ask him, when Nigel finished his cigarette and promptly dropped it. He looked at Priss for a moment before slowly approaching her. An uncomfortable silence fell between them until he took Priss' face into his hands. Her heart started to beat more loudly, trying to guess the thoughts of this mysterious man who she had found herself attracted to for quite a while.

"At last I found you! I heard you had some problems in the bar and..." Maxon's comment was lost in the air as he discovered that the singer wasn't alone. Priss' expression was a mix of anger and embarrassment at the same time. Her band partner finally realized the interruption that he had caused.

"I'm sorry! Priss, meet us in the lounge when you're ready. We've got to talk about the next show."

"Wait, I'll come with you."

Maxon was uncomfortable with the presence of the unshakable man. Priss' evasive attitude wasn't helping either.

Nigel simply stood and watched them in silence as Priss and Maxon left. 

In the dressing room, the three Sekiria musicians were arguing about the songs they were going to play in the next gig. Meanwhile, Priss was lost in her thoughts. She couldn't get the recent encounter out of her mind. Nigel Kirkland really was a mystery.  That aura seemed to grow the attraction she had for him. For a couple of months now she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. Nigel knew of and had supported her through the worst moments. She had tried approaching him before, but it felt as if she were colliding into a brick wall. Perhaps it was the fact that he was older than her. Or was it Hiro? What did he mean exactly by saying he hadn't accepted her invitations because of Hiroshi? Hiro... those memories again.

"Hey Priss, which way do you want it? Do we play "Kon'ya wa hurricane" again, or "Bug list"?"

Maxon didn't get an answer. 

"One, two, three…Earth to Priss" said Jaid. 

"Both," replied Priss without looking back at her pals. She got up, took her jacket and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Fox noticed the attitude of the singer and suspected that something had her distracted for the last few hours.

"Home."

"We're supposed to be talking about the next concert."

"I said I want both songs. I'm leaving."

Maxon was about to argue but Fox stopped him. After all, it wasn't uncommon for Priss to act this way.

"Bye," she added, slamming the door closed.

She was afraid of finding Nigel waiting for her in the corridor. She didn't know why she was acting like such a coward. Priss found it strange that he had the initiative to actually start a conversation with her. He was normally very quiet and reticent. To get an answer at all from him was quite an achievement. In that way, they were both very alike...She mounted the bike parked in the alley next to the club.  After putting on her helmet, she left.

*****

For the last five years in Tokyo, the Voomers did the work that humans hadn't wanted to do. But everything has its price, and the damage caused by mad voomers grew larger and more expensive all the time. Countless human lives were lost in those incidents.

Genom hid the truth and in some cases played down the facts. The corporation that was owner over all of Japan didn't want to endanger its power because of problems caused by its own creations. 

Mad voomer accidents occurred almost every day. This particular evening wasn't going to be an exception either. A garbage collecting voomer lost control, panicking the civilians nearby and drawing the general public's attention shortly afterwards.

*****

In a prominent building located in Tokyo's centre, a young woman watched the incident from a large wall screen TV. Her expression of incipient concern shifted into one of deep wrath. All the while she nervously drank from a bottle of whisky held in her left hand. Once finished with the drink, she removed her silky robe and quickly picked out some clothes. Combing her long blue hair, she announced her departure via the intercom.

"Henderson, I will out for a moment. If something happens, please call me."

"As you wish, my Lady."

*****

While on the road to her home, Priss had more than enough time to think. Although thoughts consumed her most of the day; when she was singing or driving her motorcycle, she felt the peace and freedom that she needed. Accelerating, she wanted to get home quickly. At the intersection of two streets, a red Porsche crossed at high speed, forcing her to brake hard.

"Shit!"

She could see the driver was a woman.

"Fucking bitch!" she shouted out from the middle of the street, though the driver kept going, ignoring the insult. Even so, the woman watched Priss through the car's mirror, a satisfactory smile drawn across her face.

Priss started back up and continued on to her home. Reaching the highway that linked Megalocity with Old Tokyo, she was forced to drop her speed. There she found traffic sealed off by the A.D. Police.

"Great!" She thought "First, a crazy bitch in a car and now these idiots."

The barricade made by the officers wouldn't allow her to pass. There were many cars waiting with her. She could hear several comments from all around.

"Seems that a voomer went mad," said a man sticking his head out of his car's window.

"Again? Why doesn't that surprise me? It's becoming a bad habit," replied someone else.

"God damned voomers!" said Priss for herself. The barricade's officers were trying to calm down the people.

"The A.D. Police are working the problem at this moment. The situation is under control."

"Idiots!"

The voomer would destroy half of Tokyo before they could stop it. Another one of Genom's frustrating creations, a private police force that was useless.

Priss wasn't one to wait.  She knew it would be a longer road to get home.  However, she didn't care about speeding. She knew no police officer would stop her since most were tied up with the voomer incident anyhow.

Before leaving, she stayed for a while watching the spectacle. The place was a mess. Overturned cars and the garbage that the voomer was collecting were scattered everywhere. The voomer was mutating into some kind of monstrous shape that weapons didn't seem to effect. The zone was cleared leaving only the voomer and the officers fighting like a modern Roman circus.

Suddenly, Priss saw something that almost stopped herheart.

A 6 year old little girl was behind the voomer. She was terrified and had something in her hands, but Priss couldn't tell what it was. She dismounted the bike and threw off her helmet.

"There's a girl right there!" she yelled to the barricade's officers, while trying to cross over to the other side.

"You can't pass. Keep yourself behind the line please."

"There is a girl behind the voomer!"

The police officers ignored her warning. Priss realized the girl would be in the middle of the crossfire at any moment. Once again, fragments from her past assaulted her mind.

"Not again!" she exclaimed.

She tried one more time to cross the barrier, but the officers wouldn't budge.

"ARGHH! How can you be so stupid!"

Without warning, Priss punched the officer in front of her in the stomach. Taking advantage of his painful distraction, she passed by him and into the middle of the battle.

The officers in K-suits started to yell for her to get out of the battlefield. Priss didn't listen to them as she was focused on the objective in her mind. That objective was the little girl... the same objective as the voomer. The stench of garbage was disgusting and she had to be careful not to slide on it as well.

The monster was aware of the little human behind it. Growing bored with the useless attacks from the police, it decided to shift targets.The girl was now kneeling, clinging tightly to something while crying. Priss raced against time and the voomer, managing to catch the girl.

She took her in her arms and looked around. She felt trapped. The highway was empty but, if she tried to run away, the voomer would certainly follow her.

While Priss was busy planning, a shadow instantly cast over her and the child. The voomer's hand reached out to them while its two red eyes stared on.

Priss stood motionless. Another place, the same situation, the same fear. But this was different... she was stronger now. This time Priss would win...

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

She could feel the heartbeat pounding in her head.  She heard a roar like a beast awakening in hell. Confusion reigned; a scream, somebody crying, explosions. She didn't want to look behind because if she did, Priss knew she would be looking into her own death.

Suddenly, there was a louder roar as if a giant were crumbling, and then silence. Opening her eyes, she found herself at the highway's side, close to the police's barricade. In front of her the voomer lay immobile; in her arms, the little girl was crying and gripped onto her strongly. Priss looked at the girl, caressing the soft golden hair. She noticed that something was moving between her and the girl.  A puppy's head appeared and then she released the child.

"Everything's over now. Are you ok?"  The girl dried her tears with her little hands and nodded, raising the dog.

"Don't run away again Toby! Thanks lady for saving us, Toby and me."

Priss smiled.  The world really stunk, but sometimes there could be something of innocence to it.

"Where are your parents?" She didn't get an answer.  The girl seemed so scared.

Some officers approached.  Among them was the one who Priss had attacked earlier.

"There she is Captain!"

"Sorry Miss, but I'm afraid that you must come with us."

Ignoring the officer's words, Priss rose and carried the girl in her arms and walked to her waiting bike. She intended to take the girl home until she could find the parents. The officer signaled to the others to block her attempt at escaping.

"You hit an officer and disrupted an operation. Those are more than enough reasons to be placed under arrest."

"I saved a life!" Priss yelled. "That's more than enough of a reason to stop bothering me."

"Kaede! Kaede! You're safe!" a woman shouted while forcing her way through the officers.

"Mum! Look! Toby is all right! This lady saved us!" the girl exclaimed while Priss put her down so she could reunite with her mother.

The officers watched the scene in silence while the woman hugged her daughter.

"You saved my child.  How can I ever repay you?"

"Don't worry.  She's safe and that's enough," she replied just before leaving the scene.

She put on the helmet and mounted the waiting red bike. Priss realized she had to take the long way since the highway would be sealed off until they removed the voomer. Several lines of cars waited while the officers tried to direct traffic.

       Priss started up the bike and left the chaos cautiously. At the end of the line of cars, a red Porsche became visible. Priss immediately recognized it as being the same car that had almost smashed her. The driver's window was down, showing the female figure at the steering wheel. Priss slowly passed by the car's side, discovering the person who she considered to be a psychopath. A light blue haired woman with deep blue eyes looked at her with intensity.  At the same time a seductive smile was drawn on her lips. Priss sped up and was lost in the night.

*****

The night had been far too long and exhausting. First the show, then an unexpected meeting and finally the voomer incident. Playing the part of a heroine wasn't in her plans either. Even now her blood chilled at recalling the voomer's hand over her.  However, it felt good in a strange sort of way, almost as if it had freed the anger and frustration that she held boarded up deep inside.

She opened her trailer's door and checked that everything was in order, or rather the whole mess in which she was used to living in wasn't disturbed. She took off her jacket and left it on the sofa.  When she was on the bed, she took off her boots, turned off the light, and felt very ready for sleep.

However even being so tired, she couldn't help but remember everything that had happened. She had saved a girl's life and that filled her with peace. But, had she acted as a hero or had it been some kind of selfish burst to purge her rage? In any event, she was reluctant to continue to watch people die right in front of her. She had lost so many close to her in seventeen years of life; her family, her friends, Hiroshi… If only someone had been in the right place at the right time, maybe some of these tragedies could have been avoided. But she had avoided one on this night. She had given the mother and daughter a chance that she never had.

Sleep finally beat Priss and her eyes closed. She fell asleep with a lone tear rolling down her face.  In her dreams, she whispered something.

"Mum, dad…"

*****

The red Porsche stopped in front of Lady 633 building. Next to the Silky Doll boutique, an access to a garage was opened and the car entered. The tall young woman exited from the vehicle, entered the boutique and took the elevator to her room. She quickly changed her clothes and put on a silky robe.  She poured a shot of whisky and went to a lower part of the building's subbasement. Once there, she sat down in front of a huge computer and started to analyze the design and plans of what seemed to be a hard suit or a high-tech voomer.

"Could it be possible to start again?" she wondered, despite the failure she carried on her shoulders. "Would it be worthwhile to risk everything again?" All these questions tormented Sylia Stingray's mind. The night's incidents had given her a new perspective. It hadn't been the voomer which had caught her attention, nor the AD Police's incompetence which was so very common. It had been something, or rather someone, else. She couldn't get her mind off the image of that woman saving the girl. Her figure, her movements, her passion and at the same time her disregard for everything else around her. And above all that was the deep cat-like look in which sharp rage mixed with suffering could be easily seen. That was what she was looking for, what she needed for her cause. "But how to trap such a savage creature?" She knew that wouldn't be easy, but she was ready to start the hunt anyway.

*****

Like always after a voomer incident, the media altered the facts and the A.D. Police was shown like heroes and saviors. On Sunday, there wasn't any news on TV, so it gave them enough time to edit it on their own. This way, the voomer which ravaged the highway was shown like a dumb beast that was quickly defeated by the officers. The A.D. Police's heroic acts had consisted of saving a girl, a dog and a young woman who were caught in the crossfire and had been at the mercy of the monster.

At this time of disinformation, the unscrupulous Genom Corporation didn't care if a hundred people witnessed the events.  They knew another million people would see it on TV and would believe the truth shown there. Everything was in the hands of the great "corporation". They surged as Japan's saviors after the earthquake in '33. But the "savior" title was nothing but a ruse since they created the chaos and then pretended to control it. Even more disturbing was that the exact reasons for the voomers' violent breakdowns seemed to be a mystery. Additionally, the fact was that the A.D. Police, another creation of Genom's, weren't qualified to handle these incidents either.

*****

Priss slept the whole day Sunday. In this way she calmed the physical exhaustion that she had accumulated after a very intense week. Also it gave her a break from the memories that were constantly haunting her.

Off course, Monday brought back her daily activity again, and with it her own personal hell. Her day started at 2 p.m. when she got up to eat a brunch before heading to the studio for practice.

Her friends were already there and practicing some new tunes.

"Hey! I thought the Earth had swallowed you up!" said Maxon.

Priss' only reply was a little grin. Meanwhile, Jaid couldn't avoid opening his big mouth.

"We saw you on TV Priss! So, the A.D. Police saved your ass from the voomer, huh?"

Priss changed her face's expression. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"They said on the news…"

"Nobody rescued me from nothing. I saved that girl."

"But…"

"I believe you.  You're not the kind of girl who needs to be rescued, and definitely not by those idiots," Fox interrupted.

This was amazing.  Not only had they wanted to arrest her, but they also took all of the credit for what she did. Actually, she didn't care to be recognized as a heroine, but this was where she drew the line.

The anger started to fill her again. She decided not to pay attention and let herself be carried away by the only thing that made her calm down; her music. She practiced the rest of the day and deep into the night.

When she started back towards home, she thought of passing by Nigel's place. She wanted to talk about what happened Saturday night. After all, she had been the one who had run off and as such owed him an explanation. But she didn't know how to start the conversation. Nigel wasn't easy to deal with. He was so quiet and would most likely avoid talking about it anyway. Priss decided not to stop by tonight; it wasn't the right time. However, she realized sooner or later she would have to bring the bike to the garage.

*****

Sylia Stingray had just completed her swimming session and exited the pool. She dried her hair, put on the robe and she went to a room.  Once there, she turned on the light and looked around. The place was spacious with a huge drawing table complete with pencils, rulers and other work related tools. There was a sheet of paper on the table; an evening dress sketch which she had worked on for quite a while. All of the Silky Doll designs were made exclusively by her.

She went to a desktop and took out some rolling sheets.  There, she unfolded it over the table.  It was filled with very detailed plans… technical specs used to build some kind of cybernetic hard suit. She gazed at it for a while before taking a blank sheet, a pencil and starting to draw. But she was surprised to find that what came from the pencil was a face… a female face with a deep look. It was the same woman who captivated her a couple of days ago… the same person who had made her believe again in her goals... the same woman whom sooner or later she would trap and tame for her own use.

She continued to draw and this time concentrated on what she wanted… a brand new hard suit… a new weapon to be used by her inspiring muse.

When she finished, Sylia picked up the phone and made a call.

"Hello, how are you?"

"Ahh, Sylia it's you."

"I have to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"I've decided to go back to business."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I thought you had given up…"

"Not exactly.  We can say that I'm inspired now."

"…"

"I need your help. I'm working on a new hard suit."

"Do you intend to use it?"

"No."

"Do you know who?"

"Yes. I'd like to show you the project."

"OK."

"I'll wait for you tomorrow night. Is that good?"

"OK."

"See you. Bye."

"Bye."

To be continued…

Author's Note: I really want to thanks to my beta reader Analogk37, who without his help and support this story couldn't be possible.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

The engine sounded very stuffy and Priss wasn't sure if it could make the trip home. She knew it needed an overhaul from Nigel.  She remembered that he used to have the garage open late at into the night. It was either that or try and head back home carrying the bike on her back. The distance from Hot Legs to the garage wasn't very long. Anyway she knew she would have to face Nigel eventually. It was almost as if her bike intentionally broke down. She went to the garage and was surprised by the fact that all was dark and closed up. She stopped and dismounted the bike to investigate; it was evident that nobody was there. 

"Shit! Nigel, where are you?"

Perhaps, the bike could wait for one more day.  But she would have to bring it back the next morning and it was already getting late. She mounted again and tried to start it up. Nothing happened.

"Please baby, don't do this to me this now! Hold on! Just a little longer."

Priss quickly considered her options. Walking home was crazy.  Thinking of the train, she vainly fished in her pockets for money.  Her empty pockets reminded her of spending all she had left on a couple of beers. Leaving the bike alone in the street for the whole night was an idea that she just didn't like very much either. Waiting for Nigel seemed to be the best option remaining. So she parked the bike in front of the garage's door, sat down on the ground and prepared to wait. 

Watching the bike, she started to think about what it really meant to her. Hiroshi had given it to her almost a year ago for Christmas. According to him, he got it with a friend's help. It was one of the best presents she received in her life. It didn't take her much time to learn to master it. She had driven bikes since she was young; it was like a family custom. That year, the bike accompanied her in many ways; it was her treasure. The only person besides her who was authorized to put a finger on it was Nigel.  He really knew how to fix it and always made it look as good as new. It was as if he had a special link with the machines. The bike and Nigel…the legacy left by Hiroshi.

*****

Strange dreams hounded her the whole night, interlaced images from past and present. Her father fixing the bike in the garage that he had when she only was a little girl…Hiro giving her the Christmas present and showing her how to mount a bike that looked impossible to drive…and Nigel. The three faces watching her, the men who had marked her life in some way, combining into an unique figure without a face… her future? All seemed to be uncertain and confused. Two of them didn't exist anymore… fate took them away from her side, but she could feel them because she knew that from some place they were still watching her. Nigel…he was there, he was her friend, her confidant. She loved him, but the question was in which way… as a father figure… or as more?  Priss didn't care in which way, she felt very attracted to him. However, with the attraction came a real sense of fear, fear of losing him, that he wouldn't be there for her anymore… just as with her other two loves. The anguish grew in her heart and mind.  She felt oppressed, almost as if she wanted to scream but couldn't.

She eventually became aware that none of this was real and the key to get out of the suffering was as simple as opening her eyes. With that, she suddenly woke up shaking and sweating. What she saw next alarmed her much more than her nightmares. She was completely dressed, even with the jacket and her boots still on, but lying in the bed that wasn't hers… in a room completely unknown.  She wondered for a moment if the dream hadn't ended yet. 

She got out of the bed and started to inspect the place when a noise from below caught her attention.  It was the sound of someone working with a drill. She opened the door and descended a short staircase. The noise stopped.

"Hi. Did you sleep well?"

"Nigel!"

Priss didn't understand what was happening. She was in the garage, but the last thing she could remember was waiting in front of the door. Nigel stood up and took off his gloves.

"I'll make some coffee. There are some biscuits in the kitchen if you want."

She was still speechless. It all seemed so confusing. She gazed at her watch and couldn't help but shout out.

"12 p.m.!"

Nigel was still imperturbable.

"How long did I sleep? And what the hell was I doing in your bed?"

"I found you sleeping at the front door next to your bike. It was 7 a.m."

"Shit! Where the hell did you go?"

"I had urgent business."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tried, but you were deep in sleep and shivering too, so I decided to get you in bed. At least you could be more comfortable there."

The man went to the kitchen and started to warm up some coffee. Priss began reviewing everything. Even though she was very tired last night, she never thought she would fall asleep in the street. After all, it wasn't the first time. Before she had her trailer, she had to pass so many nights in the bleakness. Luckily those days were kept in the far back reaches of her memory. Nigel served coffee for both of them. He utilized Priss' breakfast to take a break for himself.

"Please, take some cookies."

Priss drank the coffee and ate the cookies as if she was eating for the very first time.  She was starving since she hasn't eaten anything since yesterday. 

"It will be ready by tonight."

"That's great."

"If you have something else to do, you can go."

The man finished his coffee and went to his workspace where he put on his gloves again and started with his work. Priss remembered that she still needed to have a conversation with him about what happened at Hot Legs. Taking some courage, she finally began on that particular subject.

"Nigel…about the other day…I..."

He continued with his work seemingly without paying any attention. Priss wavered for a while, the fear beginning to take control of her again.

"It's OK. Don't worry," he answered before she could continue. Priss opted for silence and tacitly both of them accepted the situation. Having a lot of things to do in the day, she decided to go, hoping to find the needed focus to talk seriously later that night. 

"I'll be back tonight. Bye."

"Bye."

*****

       "This dress suits you wonderfully!"

"Really? Don't you think that the low neck is…a little bit provocative?"

"Don't be shy!"

"Umm, it's fine, but I want to try on this one too."

The young woman delayed in the dressing room for a couple of minutes while Sylia arranged others things. The girl shyly walked out of the door quickly catching Sylia's attention. 

"This is so embarrassing. I think I prefer the other one."

"Why? The dress you're wearing doesn't have a low neck at all."

"Yeah…but…it's too short," The girl's cheeks were red. 

"Let me see."

The dark blue dress certainly didn't have a low neck; it was totally closed with a high neck. It was very tight enhancing the figure, but was extremely short with a cut in each side… one of the best Silky Doll designs. Sylia gazed at her closely from head to foot and approached her.

"Don't worry, it suits you perfectly." The girl smiled. Sylia encroached even more and started to caress her face softly. 

"And you have a beautiful body."

"Th… Thanks…"

"So, which one do you want?"

"I like both but…"

"Don't worry, if you have a very gifted figure, you must show it."

After a short moment of wavering and feeling weird from the strange behavior of the boutique's owner, the girl finally made her decision.

"I'll take both."

"That's my girl!"

Sylia knew exactly how to convince her clients what were the best "options" at the time to choose the right clothes. Her persuasive power was enormous and she used it like some kind of piece to a game. But it wasn't only to try and convince them. She seduced them to the point of bending them to her will. It was a dangerous game… but she knew exactly with whom she could play. 

She placed the dresses in separate bags. Once the young woman had paid, she saw her to the door and wished her luck… but something shocked Sylia. The girl had already gone but before she could close the door, she noticed someone passing in front of her. It was the same person who had taken over her thoughts and her dreams… the prey she was hunting. By the time Sylia's senses returned, Priss was already turning the corner. Who are you? Where are you from? Or are you only in my mind? All of these questions threw her into despair… because of that woman, she was going mad. 

She came back to the store and watched the fish swimming placidly through the crystal wall, trying to find peace for her troubled mind. She started to plot in her head the way to take possession of that woman.  For the moment, she wasn't in a hurry… she wanted to take this delicate situation nice and slow.

*****

       "Priss, we've got to release a new song. We've got to increase our play list."

"I know Maxon, I'm working on that."

"It'd be better to have a strong theme with a touch of techno. We already have ballads and our fans love to move."

"It'll be the Christmas holidays shortly. You think we can finish the song before then?"

"Jaid, it's almost a month before Christmas, at least we can finish the music and the lyrics. When we're back from the vacation, then we can record it."

"Do you want to take a vacation?" Priss asked worried. 

"It's been a long time since I've seen my family and I like to take advantage of the holidays to visit them."

"Yeah, me too." Added Maxon. 

"What about you Priss, where do you want to go?"

"Nowhere. I don't have a family, remember?"

"I'm sorry."

"If you wanna feel better, I haven't got any place to go. I'm alone too." Fox said from the back of the room, smoking a cigarette.

"OK, we've had enough distractions. Let's get to work." Priss stood up and went to the studio to start with the practice. She found in the music and the lyrics of the songs the momentary escape of everything, evading all that was around her. At the same time it made her spirit stronger looking for the way to confront the feelings she was afraid of. 

Once again, that damned season when everybody had to be happy and joyful. Luckily, Japan wasn't a country that was greatly influenced by this kind of event. Only the New Year was really important. Christmas was a Western import, more of a commercial feast for most Japanese people. It was best way to keep alive the customs for the Christians and westerns whom had long ago established themselves in the East.

Priss didn't hate these kinds of celebrations, but she detested being completely alone. It was five years ago when she had her first Christmas in solitude, without the dearest ones close to her and without any gift, with strange people in an orphanage that she hated with her soul. Then came better times in her life, until she met Hiroshi and the band boys. Moments filled with a temporary happiness that would never come back. Now Hiroshi wasn't here anymore and even her partners now had family. 

When they ended practice, they shared some pizzas and beer. Priss was aware the hour was late and she had to hurry to the garage to pick up her bike. 

"I have to go."

"Now? So soon? We aren't even drunk yet," said Maxon.

"Hey Priss, where's your bike?"

"In the garage, I have to go to get it."

"OK, if you have to go…"

"Bye, see you tomorrow."

*****

       Priss felt weird without her bike like she was incomplete. She hoped Nigel had finished fixing it. Even now that she had money for the train, she wasn't about to go another day without "her".

She arrived at the garage and found a light on. She pushed on the door and found it open as well. Her bike was there and looked as good as new, but Nigel wasn't anywhere to be seen. She waited for a moment.  She was sure that he was busy inside or he hadn't opened the garage. When Nigel finally appeared, Priss couldn't help but be surprised by him. He had changed his clothes, wasn't wearing his typical overalls and his hair was unkempt and wet. Everything indicated that he had just taken a shower. Unlike when she met him at Hot Legs, he was almost unrecognizable. Seeing him in the garage this way was so different, so very strange. 

"It's ready. I fixed the problem with the engine and took care of some general maintenance."

"How much do I owe you?"

"I haven't made up the bill yet."

Absolute silence followed. Priss didn't know what to say. She took a step towards the bike just as Nigel spoke. 

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No, thanks. I'm not hungry."

"A beer?"

She couldn't deny such an invitation. After all, being with him was one of the things that she most enjoyed. And perhaps the alcohol would give her the strength she needed to start the real conversation she had in mind.

While they were drinking, they talked about bikes as always. Both of them avoided any deeper conversation. This time, Priss didn't want to talk about what happened last Saturday. She wanted to confess what she felt, but cowardice was getting the better of her. When she finished the beer, Priss gazed at the clock that was on the wall and noted that it was getting very late. It would be better to get back home soon.  She wanted to avoid the same luck as the other day by getting trapped in another voomer incident. Once again, she found herself running away without even trying. She was ready to go, putting her helmet on.

"I have to go, Nigel."

"No."

"What?"

"Don't go." Nigel was behind her, wrapping her up with his arms. Priss' movements stopped dead. She could feel his lips kissing her neck. She turned around and they looked into each other's eyes for a while. Her heart was throbbing more loudly than normal, trying to guess at the reasons for the deep gaze of the man in front of her… and the reason for such an action. He took her face in his hands and softly kissed her lips. She closed her eyes and surrendered herself completely into a much deeper kiss. Joining in a passionate hug, her right hand dropped the helmet. She couldn't say no…it was what she truly wanted. Priss desired for that moment to last forever. Even though it was only a minute, it seemed to linger for a century. When they separated, an accompanying silence fell between them. Nigel picked up a few things and closed the garage since it was past closing time. Priss waited even though she didn't know what exactly what for… but she could sense something. Even so it seemed strange, the fear and cowardice had left her completely. Nigel approached her again and took her hand.

"Come."

Priss said nothing as she followed him. She found herself in the same bedroom she awoke that afternoon. Nigel stood before her. The intensity of their eyes spoke more than a thousand words. She felt on her face the touch of his hand. Next was the touch of his lips on hers. They both lost themselves in a second endless kiss. Without realizing it, her jacket slithered through her arms and was dropped on the floor. Her hands started to unbutton his shirt and slithered on his chest.

Suddenly she was lying down on the same bed she had slept in that morning. Priss couldn't help but blush by the way he was kissing her neck while he undid her corset. She abandoned herself to her emotions and focused on nothing but the present. For the first time the ghosts from her past stopped haunting her and she could forget Hiroshi for just a moment. Now the face of her future seemed to take shape in the figure of Nigel. At last Priss could find the peace she was looking for in the arms of the man she believed she loved.

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

 Nigel had been awake for almost fifteen minutes. In his arms, Priss was still in the midst of a deep sleep. It wasn't his intention to try and wake her up; it was still much too early.  More importantly, the calm of her sleep marked by the peaceful rhythm of her breath filled him with an indescribable peace. He couldn't help but stare at her.  Her soft skin, the disorderly hair, the bangs partly covering her eyes… but the thing that most caught his attention was the childish face that sleep brought to her. He felt fear, as if he had in his arms some kind of innocent creature stolen from paradise. That image was very different from the determined, violent and passionate woman he knew. After all, Priss was only a child covered with a shell of rudeness.  She had been forced to grow up under severe circumstances and through her seventeen year old face showed the premature aging of her soul.  It was as if sleep allowed her to change back into her real self, relieved of pressures and anguish, and for just a while she could retrieve her lost innocence. With these thoughts in his mind, Nigel began to caress her hair. His thoughts began to drift leading him to wonder what would happen from now on.  He knew the situation wasn't going to get any easier and he feared having to somehow give up his feelings for Priss in order to protect her. The object of his thoughts finally stirred.  She woke up aiming him a playful look, turning around so she could be above him. She leaned her head on his chest and stayed that way for a moment while he continued caressing her hair.  She raised her head to look at him with her cat like eyes.

"I don't know if I told you last night, but I'll tell you now…I love you."

Nigel smiled, but said nothing. His only action was to pull her into a kiss.

"You didn't say it, but you just proved it."

His questions and fears could be put to the side for a while.  The present was too good to risk ruining it now.  Apparently, Priss felt the same way.  Add to that starting the day making love with the man she was sure she loved… Priss didn't think it could have been any better.

*****

Priss had finally gotten dressed, as she knew she must go soon.  Nigel had been working in the garage for the last hour. She really wanted to spend the whole day the same way she started it, but both of them had other duties to fulfill. Before she had fallen asleep, she feared that this was just for one night only and would end there.  But events of the morning showed her quite the opposite.  All of it indicated the beginning of something very new, and that made her very happy. Happiness…she missed feeling it… even to the point of being afraid of it. However, maybe this time, life had given her a respite.  Priss knew she couldn't waste this chance.

Once she was out of the room, she found Nigel busy with his work.

"I have to go now. I want to go home and make sure my trailer is still in one piece."

"What are you going to do tonight?"

The question took her by surprise.  After wavering for a while, she finally answered.

"I guess I'll have to practice.  I have a concert tomorrow night."

Nigel temporarily stopped what he was doing, stood up and approached her. Priss was still quiet.  In her eyes could be read a mix of astonishment and distrust. It was difficult for her to start loving someone again, but her true surprise was that it was for Nigel.  She could never imagine such tenderness from the quiet and reserved man.

"And when would you like a replay of last night?"

Priss blushed; she didn't know what to say.

"I…" He didn't let her finish. Slowly, methodically he approached her face, finally stopping with a soft kiss on her lips.

*****

Once at home, and luckily finding it still in one piece, she took a hot shower.  It allowed her to relax after a very rough day. She started to work on a new song, which happened to reflect her most recent experiences. All her songs spoke from Priss' own experiences. Her past, her loves and her sorrows, everything she kept in her mind and no one else could access.  It was as if Priss was like a kind of riddle whose answer was encrypted in the lyrics of her songs.

The obsessions that had filled her mind for the last few days seemed so foolish. Meeting Nigel at Hot Legs had filled her with fearful questions.  She never imagined that after four days she'd be starting a relationship with him.  However, her fears weren't for Nigel.  She had known him for a very long time.  But the memories of the losses of her past made her feel that insecurity once more.  Priss knew she wouldn't be able to calm it down for quite a while. Nevertheless, this time she could feel the wound from the past was healing little by little, and perhaps it was the right moment to start fresh once again.

*****

Sylia could be defined as an obsessive woman. When an idea was fixed in her head, she didn't rest until making it come true. Moreover, that obsession was even greater when her personal interests were involved.

The new hardsuit plans were finished and the only thing that was left was the person who would wear it. She knew perfectly well who that would be, but the only problem was that the person in question didn't even suspect it yet.

Where could she start looking for her? She only saw her only a couple of times, but it was enough for that face to stay engraved in her memory.  She began to make conclusions starting from what she perceived.  From her appearance and attitude, it pointed to someone from the suburbs.  The kind of manners, the way she acted, the words she used, it all gave the impression of someone from a lower social strata.  Based on that, Sylia deduced that she could be a gang member.  Sylia was accustomed to dealing with all kinds of people; many of her contacts were in the lower part of Megalocity.  In turn she could ask them to bring her information about this, but she preferred to do it by herself.

The hunting season was open now. She had to explore her prey's habitat.  So, that afternoon she decided to go for a walk in Soho Ward.  This way she could sniff out the track that would lead to her trophy.  Besides being obsessive and calculating, Sylia was also a very lucky woman, or at least luck was on her side this day. The posters that promoted a certain singer were covering the alleys and every free hole. It happened that Hot Legs was one of the most popular nightclubs in Soho Ward and Priss Asagiri was the singer of the moment in that district.

In the beginning, Sylia didn't pay any attention to the posters.  She was more focused on the people around her, looking for the right person to talk to. While stopped for a moment waiting to cross the street, she finally took notice of those cat-like eyes plastered in plain view everywhere she looked. That face was unique; it couldn't be a mistake.  Even so, she found herself approaching even closer to verify her discovery, magnetically drawn to those eyes.

"At last I've found you! …Priss…"

Reflexively, she looked for the cell phone in her bag and dialed a number in memory. The image of a dark man quickly appeared on the small screen.

"Hello Nigel."

"Hi Sylia."

"Do you remember the sketch I showed you the other day?"

"Yes."

"I finished the final designs, but I'd like for you to check it over."

"Fine."

"What do you think about tonight?"

"Sorry, I can't."

"What! What do you mean?"

"I must do some work for tomorrow and I'm getting paid in cash."

"I can offer you something more than payment by cash and you know it…"

"I'm sorry Sylia."

"It's OK! Do whatever you want! We'll talk tomorrow."

She hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.  Now her plans needed to be modified. The fact that Nigel wasn't available when she needed him made her very angry… Sylia didn't want to hurl blindly at her prey without her trap fully ready…

*****

She didn't know how to explain it, but she was extremely happy. She was with Nigel for the night, but she didn't stay to sleep. She needed to be home early. The time she would have to take action was coming soon.  Nigel promised her that he'd go to the concert that night, and that was what made her so happy.  Now, not only would she be singing to feel alive, she'd sing for him too. 

Priss knew pretty well that the Friday crowd was very different from the one on Saturday. Friday always brought more "civilized" people as Maxon called them or "bored" in Jaid's terms. These people were the same as the young from the center of Tokyo who preferred to have fun in the suburbs.  Even so, she had many fans among them, and they were a very demanding audience. In addition, there was even the possibility of some executive from a recording company putting his eyes on her. Knowing that Nigel would be there supporting her made Priss feel stronger, just as in the old times when Hiroshi was there. 

The night passed quickly, the public acted as euphoric as ever and Priss gave them the very best of her.  But something had clouded her joy from the very beginning; Nigel wasn't there. Priss started to worry and imagining many horrible things. Once the show ended, she decided to go and check out the garage. When she arrived, she found all the lights out and the garage locked up just like before when she stayed the whole night waiting for him. It was strange… maybe he had an emergency. She tried to hold her thoughts in check before her fears returned to drive her mad. She finally headed off on the raod back home.  Exhausted from the concert, she decided to try and get some sleep… resolving to clarify the cloudy situation when she had more time and energy to worry about it…

*****

Sylia woke up checking the clock on the bedside table; it was 4 am. She was thirsty and her throat felt dry. She carefully got up, cautious not to wake the person next to her. She went to the kitchen for a cold glass of water. 

She had suffered through some disturbing dreams for most of the night.  Deranged voomers she was fighting… and that woman…those eyes…but this time her admiration and obsession morphed into fear... as if the face revealed in her nightmares was an omen of something evil to come.  She returned to the room and went to bed again, trying to forget those upsetting images. The man who was lying on the bed turned his back to her.  She lay next to him and passed her arm across his body.  She started to kiss his back while caressing his chest.

"Nigel, I know you're not sleeping."

In fact, he had been awake since she got up.  However, his mind was in another place… with someone else. He turned around to see into her face so he could respond to her caress and kisses. He knew what she was looking for and what she wanted from him.  He had no choice but to try and please her…

*****

The cell phone started to ring. Priss woke up thinking that it was the alarm clock. When she noticed that it was the phone, she jumped from the bed to look for it in her jacket's pocket. She was still very sleepy and didn't notice whom the number was from.

"Hi."

"Priss?"

"Nigel?!"

"Yes."

"…"

"Sorry about last night. I couldn't go see you; I had to work late and…"

"Don't waste your time inventing some stupid excuse.  I was in the garage after the show ended and you weren't even there."

"Maybe I was sleeping.  I was very tired."

"Whatever."

She hung up the line and tossed the phone on the bed with anger. She felt disappointed, almost like she had been taken as a fool. It was obvious that he wasn't at home and for some reason he was lying to her. She didn't have the right to put her nose in Nigel's life, but what really bothered her was that someone had played with her feelings. 

*****

The play list for the show wasn't changed very much from the previous night. Even so, the band still wanted to eliminate a couple of the ballads and replace them with more lively songs. It wasn't long before they had to go on stage. Priss, Jaid and Fox were waiting in the room that served as dressing room and lounge. Each one was into their element; Fox practiced some cords in his bass, Jaid followed the rhythm with an invisible drum and Priss revised the new lyrics. Maxon strode in and decided to catch on with his guitar.

"Priss, a guy wants to see you."

"Who?"

"It's the same guy that was talking with you the other day. He insists on seeing you now. So, are you gonna bring him in here or see him outside?"

Priss tried not to care that Nigel wanted to see her before the show. She started to think about how little she really knew about this man. Certainly the abrupt way in which she had ended the telephone call earlier would have irritated him, though. She felt guilty, because she had acted like some kind of brat and now she needed to face the consequences. Fear could be distinctly read all across her face. She walked out into the hallway as if she was marching to her death, thinking how deep Nigel's anger would be.

"Are you still angry?" he asked first, with a calm voice.

"Maybe…"

Watching him so unconcerned calmed her down and chased away her fears. She stood up with the tip of her toes to reach Nigel's face and kiss him on his cheek. It was her way to forgive him and apologize herself, but she didn't want to be more explicit in a public place. Nigel read her intentions and, acting quickly, kissed her lips before she could react. The embrace and kiss weren't long, but still long enough for the rest of Sekiria to exit the room and start ogling them.  Maxon cleared his throat to make them aware of his presence.  Priss left Nigel but couldn't help the bright blush all over her cheeks. 

"Make sure your fans don't see you like this or you'll break all their hearts," said Maxon.

"Or even worse, they could take pictures of you and publish them all over the internet," added Jaid.  The two jokesters shook hands with both laughing heartily.

"Shut up!"

"It's ok Priscilla, don't get mad. But at least you could have told us you have a new boyfriend!"

Priss' face was redder than a tomato. It was more anger than embarrassment, however. Everything came out so suddenly and she didn't want to make public her private life.  Even though the band was the only real friends she had, sometimes it was still much better they didn't know certain things. Nigel couldn't help but smile; he knew all too well about Priss' bad temper.

Fox stood quietly, not amused by the situation. Everyone headed out on stage; it was show time. Nigel noticed Fox's presence. He had known him for a long time.  They had shared some common friends but had never been very communicative to each other. Fox was part of Hiro's gang for a while and they had always taken their bikes to Nigel's garage.

"Congratulations buddy. Seems that you were successful taming the beast. I thought Hiro was the only with that particular talent."

Nigel followed him with his eyes and said nothing. The meanings of that comment ran very deep and he feared putting Priss in a difficult situation as a result…

*****

The concert went off as usual with the hordes of people thrashing along with every song. Priss' lyrics mesmerized her fans, inviting them to her complete rapture. She seduced them with her voice and her sensual movements.

Apart from that euphoric multitude, a lone person stared with interest at the spectacle. She allowed herself to be seduced by the goddess on stage. Sylia Stingray knew she was on foreign ground; she was most definitely an outsider in this place. But she knew pretty well how to camouflage herself.  So, in order to be the huntress looking for her prey, she morphed into one of the many preys herself. The leather clothes she had chosen for the occasion were suited perfectly to the place and the circumstances, but they didn't go unnoticed by the males that began to surround her.

Sylia acted with ease and didn't care what was happening around her. Priss' concert ended and it was the right moment to look for a drink so she could obtain some information about the singer. When she was close to the bar, she thought for a moment that she saw someone she knew. Logic tried to convince her it was impossible, that this person couldn't be here. However, when she was finally ready to order her drink, she found that sometimes logic couldn't be applied to everything.

"Nigel?!"

With the hustle and bustle of the club, the man couldn't hear her exclamation.  Besides, his thoughts were full of someone else at that moment…  Sylia reached out and touched his shoulder, returning him to reality. When he looked at her, it took him a few seconds to recognize her dressed in that manner. It wasn't common to see her with platted hair and a leather cap. And though she was a woman who used all kind of clothes, the leather miniskirt, corset and jacket, all combined with a black boots was very unusual for her, at least until that moment.

"Sylia?"

"Nigel, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you."

"Umm, we can say I'm here for business. But you…"

"I just came here to have a little bit of fun."

"The next time, we can come to have fun together, don't you think?" Sylia took him by the arm while her head lay on his shoulder. Nigel wanted to get away from her very soon.  He knew that if Priss appeared at that moment, things would turn ugly… very ugly...

"I have to go."

"So soon? Nigel, stay here for a while. We can go together."

"I just came here for a beer. I'm tired now."

"It seems like you don't want to be with me," she replied with a certain bitterness in her tone. 

"It's not that," he evaded.  "If you need something, call me. See you."

"Bye Nigel."

The man managed to lose himself in the crowd and began frantically looking for Priss, who already was in the dressing room. Meanwhile, Sylia asked for a whisky and waited there. It wasn't long before someone swallowed the bait and sat down next to her. The fun was just beginning.

*****

Nigel knocked on the dressing room door where Priss and her band were resting, Maxon opened it and wasn't surprised to see him.

"Ah, you're here.  Come in."

Actually, it wasn't his intention to interrupt them.  He wanted to avoid any kind of confrontation with Fox.

"I'll just wait right here."

"Hey, Priss your boyfriend is waiting for you."

Obviously, that comment caused Maxon and Jaid to start laughing hysterically. Fox just stood serious while Priss had smoking pouring out of her ears. She went to the hall flustered but still noticed Nigel was worried about something.

"What's wrong?"

"I have to go."

"Now? I thought you'd wait for me."

"It's…"

"Then, I'll go with you."

She picked up her stuff and said good-bye to her pals.

"Wait.  Is there another exit besides the main door?"

"Yeah, the alley door. Why?"

"I don't like the people out there today. It's not safe for you."

Priss didn't care about the drunks who bothered her, but she really appreciated Nigel's concern about her safety.

"It's OK. We can go out there or we can wait here for a while.  There's nobody in here." Priss went to a room that was empty. Here, they could be alone without anyone from Sekiria bothering them. Nigel didn't care where they went.  He just wanted to get away from Sylia. 

***** 

"Hi babe!" a guy dressed in black with a large overcoat sat next to Sylia.

"Do I know you?"

"No, but it might be a good idea to get to know each other, don't you think?"

Sylia didn't say a word and kept drinking. She was laughing to herself, thinking how easily they were falling for her.

"You're new here, aren't you? It's the first time I've seen you," the guy continued.

"Yeah, I came here looking for something, for someone…"

"Maybe I can help you in your search. My name is Takeshi and I know every soul in this place."

"Well Takeshi, so I presume you know Priss."

"I wish… well yeah, I know who is she, but y'know what I mean. I've seen all her concerts… every weekend, but she's untouchable."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not an easy girl."

"You know something about her?"

"What everybody knows…she's seventeen, was a gang member, she's a pretty good fighter and has a really bad temper. She's the girl of my dreams…"

"Do you have some pictures of her?"

"That's my specialty babe."

"Could you show me?"

"Of course. Hey, are you… a fan of her or… you wanna …have a date with her?"

"Lets just say both might be true…"

"Geez…I never thought that a beauty like you could be a girl of that kind…If you want pictures I can give them to you for a very good price." He took an envelope from his overcoat and gave it to her with caution. Sylia took it and put it in her jacket.

"Do you accept all kinds of payment?" Sylia's suggestive tone was very stimulating.

"Of course babe!"

"How much?"

"10,000 yen and I can give you her e-mail address and the address of where she practices." He took a napkin from the bar and wrote everything on it.

"Here you go."

Sylia passed him some bills and the guy counted them quickly.

"Well, we have 6,000 here…"

"… and we can negotiate the rest after having a little fun." Sylia asked for another whisky. Suddenly a hand started to slide on her leg under the skirt.

"And just what do you think you are doing?"

"Taking an advance on what you owe me."

*****

The room was wide, a dressing room that wasn't frequently used. Priss used to go here when she wanted to be alone before a show. However, this time was different. She didn't want to go just yet.  She wanted to be with Nigel without any interruption or trouble. Hot Legs didn't close until very early in the morning, and this place was more inviting than her own home. She felt as if everything she needed was right here.

It had been almost an hour since they had decided to take refuge. They were sitting down on the sofa, hugging each other in silence.  Words weren't needed. It had been a long time since she shared that kind of peace with anyone, perhaps since she was last with Hiroshi.  Occasionally a kiss or caress interrupted the calm silence. 

"Do you want to go?"

"If you want to." Nigel was still worried about the fact that Sylia was in the same place. He couldn't figure out what impulsive reasons brought her to be here.

"And what will we do once we get out of here?" Priss' question led on to a certain decision.

"Whatever you want."

"Mmm, really?" She started shyly kissing him… and then she encouraged him even more. Nigel knew exactly where she wanted to go and decided to follow her lead.

"Do you want continue this in another place?"

"That's not a bad idea." Priss stood up, grabbed her jacket and was ready to go.

"Come, let's get out of here by the side door."

"You have your bike?"

"No, the guys brought me in the van."

"Well, then we'll go on my bike."

When they were in the hall, they heard some voices from the next room; Sekiria's remaining group was still there.  Even though the alley was dark, Priss still noticed that somebody was there. That didn't surprise her; there were always couples hiding in the dark for intimacy… or perhaps consuming illegal substances. In fact, in the shadows a couple seemed to be having fun right then. Priss and Nigel quickly left to look for the bike.

*****

Sylia was very busy with her own issues at the moment.  In addition, the eight whiskies she had drunk were taking their toll as well.  Otherwise, she might have been aware that her lover and her prey were running away together in the same alley where she was "clinching a deal".  She had decided to pay her debt in a very special way, and her informant didn't oppose at all.  It was clear that the alcohol had played an important role in her actions; even so, it wasn't the only thing responsible. But everything had its limit. She felt probing hands trying to open their way under her clothes, and the endless kiss was becoming more violent and oppressive. Thus, she then decided that she had paid her debt in full. Sylia was finally able to break away for just an instant.

"That's enough honey."

"What are you saying babe? I'm only getting started." Takeshi was ready to undo his pants when Sylia pushed him away.

"I really appreciate your information. If I'd need something more, I'll be in touch with you." Trying to recover her bearings, she cleaned up her clothes and said good-bye to him blowing a kiss.

*****

The ring of the phone burst into the quiet Sunday morning, violently waking up the couple who had been in a very deep sleep.  Nigel got up to pick up the phone while Priss was swearing, still half-asleep.

Nigel had a small suspicion of whom it might be.

"Hello."

"Nigel, I'll need your help."

"For what?"

"I want to make some improvements to my hardsuit, and I want to start testing the new one."

"Is it urgent?"

"I don't want to waste any more time."

"When do you want me to come over?"

"Whenever you can."

"I'll be there tomorrow."

"Fine."

"Bye."

"Bye."

He hung up and walked back to bed.  Priss was completely awake now.

"What happened?"

"Just some work I have to do."

"Now?"

"No. Don't worry, keep sleeping."

"He kissed her on the forehead and succeeded in distracting her from the question that started to scratch on dangerous ground.

*****

The finished plans of the new hardsuit were lying on the drawing table.  Sylia looked it over and over again and tried to imagine Priss wearing her creation, fighting for her cause.

Henderson announced Nigel's arrival through the intercom. When he came into the room, Sylia showed a very upsetting cheerfulness. 

"Nigel, I'm very glad to see you! Look, I showed you these plans the other day. I made some changes, so I'd like you to start working on these."

Nigel looked at the plans carefully. 

"Sylia, you don't have the person who will wear it yet. Do you want to repeat the same mistakes as before?"

"No, this time will be different. I know who this person will be."

"That's what you always used to say. I think this person is only in your mind."

"You're wrong." Sylia took an envelope that was on the drawing table.

"Here you go," she added while placing Priss' pictures on the table.

Nigel gazed at the pictures and felt a knife stab his heart. So Priss was Sylia's new guinea pig, or at least was who she wanted. He tried to hide his surprise from Sylia's eyes or she'd start to ask questions.

"Priss?"

"Do you know her?"

"Yes…no…I've seen her at Hot Legs a couple of times. She's the girl who sings there."

"That's right. She's the perfect girl.  Her attitude, her temper. She's beautiful as well, don't you think?"

"But, what makes you think she'll accept?"

"Believe me, she'll do it. I noticed she had a certain hate for voomers and the A.D. Police."

"And how do you know this?"

"I've seen her in action.  She saved a little girl from a mad voomer, and she didn't care about hitting a police officer. She's very impulsive."

Nigel knew nothing about that, but everything Sylia was saying was suited perfectly with Priss' profile.

"Well, so you're going to start working on Priss' hardsuit, right?"

"I think you should talk to her about being a member of the Knight Sabers first."

"Umm…yes. I'm waiting for the right moment. But I think I'll need your help."

"I don't want to get involved in this."

"Why? Are you afraid of her? I just need you to show her the way to me. I'll take care of the rest."

*****

The mission Sylia gave him wasn't easy. He knew what it meant to be a Knight Saber and he didn't want to let Priss risk her life carrying out Sylia's revengeful desires. He arrived at the garage and found Priss waiting for him there.

"About time you came!"

"Priss…"

"There was a mad voomer near Hot Legs. The A.D. Police were ridiculous as always. Y'know what? If I could, I want to kick a voomer's ass and then sell it back to Genom as trash."

Priss' comments couldn't be more appropriate.

"And what happened with your work?"

"I don't know if I'll accept it yet." Nigel placed his arm around Priss' waist as they walked together into the garage.

To be continued…

Author note: Well, this chapter is more longer than the others, and I'm working in the fith right now. I want to thank to my beta readear Analogk37, without his help it wasn't the same. And the feedback will be welcome as always. ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Winter had yet to make its official arrival, however the December cold was certainly making its presence felt in the city of Tokyo. Lower temperatures and some early snow were already ringing in the coming weather for the next three months. 

The Christmas season was well underway. All throughout the stores could been heard the sound of carols playing in the background; and in the streets, electronic billboards informed all that Genom was working hard to assure all citizens peace and harmony on these holidays. Tokyo was without a doubt the most western city of Japan. Speaking of customs, almost all cultures of the world could be found here, relegating the traditional and ancestral ones to the interior sections of the country.

Priss considered this season as the most hypocritical of them all. She wasn't discontented with the holidays, but with those who acted kindly only for those weeks then seemed to forget all about morals and education the rest of the year. Or like Genom, making promises that they would never keep.  However, Christmas wasn't needed for that, any excuse was good enough for the corrupt corporation. 

Seemingly lost in time were the moments in which she enjoyed feasts of the season. So were ones of decorating the tree on Christmas Eve or wearing her special kimono to visit the temples on New Year. All those were before Genom, before the earthquake. The world was a better place then, or at least it seemed that way to Priss. 

The singer found her bike affected by the sudden cold spell. Nigel was making the necessary adjustments while she was lost in her reflections.  Priss absently made some hot chocolate to start the day, a custom she had hung onto from her not so distant childhood. The chocolate's aroma inundated the garage as Nigel took his cup.

"What's wrong? You looked worried."

"Nothing, I'm just remembering a few things."

"What kinds of things?"

"When my life didn't stink."

Nigel stared at her with an inquiring look.

"I shouldn't complain. I'm feeling good right now after all. But sometimes I can't help but think about everything I've lost and will never be able to get back."

"I understand."

"So how are you thinking of spending this Christmas?"

"I guess just like any other day."

Priss finished her chocolate. She realized it would be like any other day for her too.   She had long since given up the idea of that kind of feast, but she still felt the need for companionship… even if she didn't want to admit it.

"So, it's safe to assume you don't care if I spend Christmas with you then," Priss said, leaving the cup on the table.  She slowly walked up to him and started to gently massage his shoulders…

*****

The doorbell rang twice.  From outside the house could be heard hurried steps descending the staircase.

"I'll get it mum!" The blond girl yelled before jumping from the last stair.

When she opened the door, the girl found a voomer with two envelopes in its hands.

"Special delivery for Nene Romanova," said the postman's electronic voice.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you Nene Romanova?"

"Yes!!!" The young woman started to lose her patience because of the machine's limited intelligence.

"Put your finger here please." The voomer gave her a board with a LCD screen and a sensor to register her fingerprint. When she placed her finger on the sensor, all her personal information appeared and a window with the message "received" began to blink.

The blond girl closed the door and began to inspect the envelopes.

"Who was it Nene?" her mother asked from the kitchen.

"The postman. I don't get it. Why do they send this through the mail when they could just do it by e-mail?"

"It's a matter of security honey. Important things can't be trusted over the Internet. There are many hackers scouting around the net…"

Nene laughed nervously, feeling somewhat exposed by her mother's comment. The woman approached to see what letters they had received. It wasn't very common for the postman to visit the Romanova household.

"And… Are you thinking of just standing there the whole day without opening the letters?"

"I think I already know what these are all about…"

"Wow…so now you can see the future too."

"Okay then, let's see… I think I'll open this one first." The first envelope had the NASA logo in the upper left margin, heightening her expectations even more. Nene drew out the contents. Inside, there was a folder and a letter. While she read the letter, her face began to sag from disappointment.

"What's wrong?"

"They didn't accept me. They said that I don't meet the physical requirements needed…height and weight again. But they said they would keep my other skills in mind for the future. Yeah…sure…that's what they always say."

"Don't worry, they're just missing the most important things. You're a very intelligent child. You'll have better opportunities."

"Better?"

"I know that your dream is to be an astronaut and go into the space…"

"I was refused by everyone for the same exact reason. I thought they were looking for astronauts… not basketball players."

"You have another envelope you haven't opened yet. What's that one?"

"From the A.D. Police."

"What?! Do you really want to go into the A.D. Police?"

"There was vacant position in the communications section. The requirements were about having a high knowledge of computers and programming. At least they don't care about my physical attributes..."

Nene opened the envelope and took out the letter.  She couldn't help the huge smile that immediately exploded on her face.

"They accepted me, they accepted me!" She hugged her mother and then started to jump for joy.

"Let me see." Her mother took the letter to read it.  The way she grabbed it ended Nene's momentary happiness.

"What's wrong mum?"

"Tokyo? You have to go to Tokyo?"

"Of course. It's where A.D. Police's central station is."

"Are you nuts?"

"Why?"

"Do you really want to live alone in Tokyo?"

"Yes."

"There is no way I will let you go!"

"But.."

"And don't try that "lost puppy" face one me because you won't change my mind."

"But… It… it's not fair!"

"When your father gets home, we'll talk about what's fair and what's not."

Nene stormed up the stairs and locked herself in the bedroom before her mother had a chance to start on another one of her sermons. She didn't know which to do, cry or yell. This was her chance to be independent, grow up and do what she finally wanted to do. But her parents were always too overprotective, making all her decisions for her. Joining the A.D. Police not only spoke well of her knowledge about computers, but of her hacker abilities too. After all, her acceptance was in part thanks to some "adjustments" she had made through the net

She walked over to her desktop and picked up the toy weasel that was on the computer monitor.  With it in her hand, she plopped down on the bed.

"Can you believe it Uprio-chan?"

_"What happened Nene?" she replied to herself, pretending to be the weasel._

"I get my first job and my mother goes crazy saying she won't let me do it. It's amazing that she would rather send me on a mission into space instead of letting me live alone in Tokyo."

_"Maybe she knew you would never be accepted as an astronaut and that's why she encouraged you."_

Nene hugged the weasel and stayed like that for a while, just staring into the ceiling.

"Anyway, I think I'll do what I want to do." She closed her eyes and without realizing it, she fell asleep.

*****

"Well, do you have something in mind?"

"Here you go Maxon. I was working on this song. I can still change some stuff."

"I like it. And the music?"

"Hand me the guitar; I thought of some chords while I was writing."

"Go ahead Priss."

The notes that started to sound out were sweet and calm.  Priss' voice resonated in much same tone. She paused after finishing the first part. Fox broke the silence, applauding as Jaid soon joined in.

"Hey, I thought we were going for a more upbeat tune, not another ballad."

"I'm sorry Maxon, but my inspiration only me gave this."

"I like it." Said Fox.

"Me too." Added Jaid.

"Ahhgg. It's OK. If this is what you want…we've got to seriously start working on the arrangements though. Remember we must have everything finished before Christmas."

"And what's the song's title?"

"I don't have a name for it yet."

"Well think about it. When we're back from vacation, the only thing we'll time to do is record it."

*****

Nigel had been working on Sylia's hardsuit for almost two hours, following her instructions to the letter. These changes were only internal, as the outer shell wasn't being modified. But manipulating the circuits was very exhausting work because any mistake could be fatal.

Sylia was attending to the boutique as the clock crept towards closing time. Nigel worked quietly with his only company a wine bottle that Sylia had given him. Suddenly, the ring of the cell phone interrupted his silence. He checked the screen and immediately recognized the number; it was Priss. He put the phone on "voice only" mode… he didn't want any problems in case Sylia appeared unexpectedly.

"Hi Nigel."

"Hi Priss.  Are you still practicing?"

"We're all done. I'm coming over to the garage now."

"I'm not there."

"Where are you?"

"I'm working for an important client. I'll be back late."

"Do you want to go to my place then?"

"OK."

"You know where is, don't you?"

"Yes, I have your address."

"So I'll wait up for you then. Bye."

"Bye."

*****

Sylia had finished in the boutique. In her room, she changed her clothes into something more comfortable and went to the kitchen looking for something to eat. Henderson wasn't there, so she made herself some sandwiches and went to the pit where Nigel was.

"How much longer are you going to work?"

"Not much more tonight. I think I'll finish up tomorrow. I want to check some data in my computer first."

"I brought some snacks. If you want something more elaborate, I'll tell Henderson to fix some dinner."

Nigel said nothing.  He took one of the sandwiches and both of them ate in silence. 

Once they ended the light dinner, Nigel worked a little bit more. Sylia devoured him with her eyes and tried to begin a conversation, but the man's distant attitude kept her not so noble intentions at bay. He was sitting on the floor, running a test on the hardsuit. Sylia approached to him with feline like movements. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and started to massage him.

She noted his muscles tensing for a moment, as if he didn't expect this kind of contact. Nigel couldn't help his body rejecting her advances at first, but not accepting an offer from Sylia could turn into an ugly situation he would much rather avoid. However, the young woman's touch immediately reminded him of Priss… and where he needed to be right now...

"You worked a lot today…" she whispered in his ear. "Don't you think you deserve a little bit of fun?" Her hands slid under his shirt and onto his chest, insinuating something more than a simple massage. Sylia had started her play but when she didn't get an answer to her advances, she stopped. Nigel stood up, trying to act impassive.

"You know what? Since it's close, I wanted to tell you that I'll spend Christmas with you. Actually, we can spend Christmas here together." Sylia showed an innocent smile to do make her invitation more convincing. Nigel simply looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What do you think Nigel?"

"I already have plans for that day."

"What are you talking about?"

"It was something very sudden. People I've known for a long time..."

"You can invite them if you want…I'll tell Henderson to make a big dinner. But please, stay with me. I don't want to be alone!"

Nigel knew what Sylia asked of him was impossible, but he also knew how lonely she was. But if he accepted her invitation, he'd surely break Priss' heart.

"I'll see what I can do." That was the only answer she got from him. At the time, Nigel stood up and was ready to pick up his stuff. Sylia stood in front of him and hugged him.

"Don't go yet." She started to kiss his neck while her hands were looking to find their way under his shirt again.

"Sylia, not today." He slowly pushed her back with his hands, took his jacket and left.

Sylia said nothing, she stood calmly with a grin drawn across her lips as if she wasn't surprised. Perhaps that calm was nothing more the tempest's presage.

*****

"Nene! It's time for dinner! Nene!"

Anya Romanova was losing her patience. She knew that her daughter might be mad at the discussion they had earlier, but this was too much. She stormed up the staircase and strode into the teenager's room, expecting to find her in front of the computer.

"What do you think are you doing?" But her attitude abruptly changed when she saw her daughter wasn't ignoring her; rather she was deeply asleep. She approached with tenderness, sitting down on the bed and slid back the hair on her forehead.

"Honey, dinner's ready." Nene turned over, slowly awakening and started to stretch.

"Umm, what's wrong?"

"It's time for dinner.  C'mon, let's go."

The nap she took made her forget for a moment what had happened, but when she saw her father, she instantly remembered the talk from earlier in the day. 

"Hi, daddy!"

"Hi Nene!"

The three of them began to eat in silence until Anya decided to break the ice.

"Nene, why don't you tell your father about today?"

"About what?" Nene was trying to avoid the topic, playing like a fool.

"C'mon, don't be shy. You know very well about I'm talking about."

"What do you have to tell me dear?"

"Today…"

"Yes?"

"I received a letter from NASA…"

"Wow…and what did they tell you?"

"That I'm don't meet their requirements…"

"Oh. That's a shame!  You're incredible intelligent. You'd have an excellent career there," answered her father without even letting her finish.

They continued their dinner as Nene assumed the conversation finished.

"Honey, why don't you tell daddy about the other letter you received?"

"What other letter Nene?"

"Well…I …was accepted into the A.D. Police of Tokyo and…"

"A.D. Police?" her father spilled the wine he was drinking everywhere. "Have you lost your mind!?!" he continued while trying to clean the whole mess with a single napkin. Again Nene's words were floating in air while her father screamed without even knowing the whole story.

"I said the same," her mother piled on as well.

Nene stared at them for a moment. Then she got up and went to the stairs leading to her bedroom, ignoring what was happening at the table.

"Where are you going?" asked her father.

"To my room. I'm getting my stuff ready and taking the first available flight to Tokyo."

"What?!" they yelled in unison.

"You can't stop me!"

"We're your parents so we can stop what we want!"

"I'll do what I want!"

"You won't go to Tokyo risking your life fighting against those mad beast voomers!" Nicolas Romanova was losing his control.

"I won't be fighting dad. I am going to be in the communications section in front of a computer the whole day."

"But dear, you don't need go to Tokyo to do that."

"You don't get it, do you!?!…I applied to every space agency, even NASA, with the hope of be accepted. And you supported me. So do you prefer that I'd be in outer space instead of Tokyo?"

Both of them kept silent, looking at each other without knowing what to say. Their daughter had hit a nerve.

"It's that the possibility was so unlikely that you would actually go into space … but this… this is not. We don't like the idea of you leaving home and living so far away from us. You're still too young."

"I knew it.  All this time you supported me only to make me feel happy…Mom, I'm seventeen years old and thanks to my "incredible" intelligence I finished school two years earlier than everybody else. If I go to college, I'll probably know more than the professors will. What do you want me to do? Stay here playing with computers?  Or is it because you don't like the idea of your little daughter growing up?"

"You're just a little brat."

"We won't speak any more about this. I will not tolerate it. You'll stay here in Nagoya with your family. Do you understand?" her father yelled her in a way he never had done before.

Nene held back her tears; she didn't want to show them her weakness. She went to her room and started to think of a way she could do what she wanted without hurting her parents. Actually, she realized they were the one's who must grow up; she had already done it and was sure of what she wanted. She'd go to Tokyo without any reservations and then she'd show them that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

*****

Priss was making breakfast while Nigel still slept. This time was her turn to be the hostess. It was important to Priss because it was the first time he had been to her home. Even more importantly, it was the first time she took a man to her bed since Hiro's death. She felt that, little by little, she was overcoming that loss… and finding that loving someone else didn't necessarily mean betraying her great love's memory. 

She had noticed that Nigel was distant, as if something was bothering him. In any event, she had taken great care to make him forget at least for one night all of his concerns... whatever they might be.

Once the coffee was ready, she brought the cups over to the bed. She sat down next to him and gingerly woke him up. Nigel opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Breakfast is ready."

The hot coffee's aroma finished the process of waking him up. He sat upright, looking at Priss waiting for him with the cups in her hands. He couldn't help but feel happiness for just an instant. That slovenly girl with such an unsociable character, much like him, now appearing as a woman with whom he could share the rest of his life. He was in front of an unknown Priss; one that only he had the privilege of meeting. While they drank their coffee sharing a short moment of intimacy, Nigel calmly scanned his newfound surroundings. He found the mess in whole trailer was in a small way evidence of its owner's character. 

"I don't know why you say that your house isn't comfortable. I feel good here."

"It's just everything is out of place. I don't complain, I like to live this way. But I must admit that it isn't the best place to have visitors."

"It's your home after all."

"Hiro used to say the same thing…after all, I have this trailer thanks to him."

"I can't imagine Hiro living in a pink trailer…"

"It was gray before. After he died, I decided to make some changes…the color was so depressing…and I wanted the whole world to know that this was my home and nobody else's. That's why I painted my name with a spray can. It was the best way to mark my territory.

Priss finished her coffee and leaned on him, trying to keep him from getting up and leaving. Nigel knew he had to return to Sylia's house to continue working on the hardsuit. If she didn't give him a very good payment, he wouldn't have accepted the job. He didn't like Sylia's plans at all. It had failed in the past and, worse yet, he wasn't sure exactly what was on her mind now.

"You've got to go to work, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's still early…and I want to start the day in a good way." 

Priss reached to put the cup on the floor, when Nigel pulled her into him. When he kissed her, he began to unbutton her shirt…

*****

A tall, slim and man brandished with pale features crossed the oversized corridor until he stood in front of the huge door. He stopped for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face before finally entering.  The cavern on the other side was enormous, filled with numerous cables and monitors. In the center was a throne occupied by an immobile old man.  This man, staring at nothing in particular, was fixed in place by hundreds of cables connected to his body.  Quincy Rosenkreuz, Genom's eternal CEO, had his life prolonged thanks to his machines. This man was the economic and politic leader of the whole nation. As he sat on his mutated throne, he watched all through the surrounding screens that had become the only link he still had with the real world. Even though he might look lost and unconscious, but he quite aware of other man's presence now in the room.

"Mason, is the human type voomer I asked for ready?"

"Not yet sir. The engineers say that they need more time to finish it."

"But I presume that the prototype had been distributed."

"Yes, that's right. The shopping centers in Tokyo and some individual stores have now acquired it."

"What do you know about the incidents that have happened recently with these voomers?"

"We're investigating sir. It seems that the phenomenon from the past may perhaps be plaguing us again."

"I know you will resolve it soon Mason. Genom can't lose money or risk its public image."

"My fears are as yours sir."

Mason made reverence to the old man and left. An evil grin was drawn through his lips as he slipped into his office. 

*****

Priss knew very well that she wouldn't receive any presents for Christmas. But she didn't care as long as she was still able to give something to herself. She had saved some money for a while in order to buy a new computer, although it was one of the older models. Taking advantage of the fact she hadn't practiced with the band because of the holidays, she used the whole day to go through stores, looking for the computer that best fit her miniscule budget.

The malls were packed with people doing their Christmas shopping. A few grotesque voomers with an incipient human shape, dressed as Santa Claus, were trying to be attractions for the children. It seemed as if Genom had decided to show off some of its new toys this season. Priss couldn't help but feel a shiver through her spine at the thought of what would happen if one of those creatures had a loose screw.

Going through the malls was something that she didn't like at all.  However, when she spied a music store through the swelling masses, all her cheap philosophy about society flew right out the window. The guitars and keyboards were more than just a little tempting.  She reminded herself several times that the money she had was for a computer and not a keyboard. Even so, it was still hard for her to think of Sekiria playing with instruments of generations long past.

Priss' idle thoughts were violently interrupted by screams coming from the halls outside the store.  All the lights suddenly turning off completed the rift into chaos.

"Shit! What now?" The answer to Priss' question ran past the in front of the store where she was. 

Actually, Genom's Christmas voomers had lost several screws.  Even though luckily no one was hurt yet, danger was imminent. Not only were the three Santa Claus mutating into something repugnant, but also all the exits from the mall were automatically closed to prevent the chaos from leaking out into the streets.

The emergency lights turned on bringing a short calm to those trapped inside. A security officer strode into the store trying to inspire even more order while Priss took advantage of the occasion to slide away and investigate. The voomers were all gathered in the first floor's hall. A lone officer was facing them with an ordinary gun as he started to shoot. One of the creatures actually fell from the otherwise meager impact. The man continued shooting at the other two with the hope of somehow defeating them as well.

"Well, at least he's more effective than the A.D. Police," Priss thought while she was sneaking up to see the action.

The officer ran out of ammunition and tried to call for help through the intercom system. That moment of distraction was all the voomer lying on its back needed to suddenly recover. The monster rushed at the man who was distracted trying to get some backup. Priss still trying to see what was going on when she heard a pain filled yell as panic once again took control among the people. She speeded up her march until nearly vomiting from the spectacle she found there. The voomer had pierced the officer through his chest and still had him on its right arm. The man briefly floated between life and death while the people watched with horror knowing full well which fate actually awaited him. The beast shook its hand, setting free its victim and joining with the others while looking for its next prey. Priss scurried around trying to find something to serve as a weapon. The only thing she found was a fire extinguisher, so she took it and started to shoot it against the demonic Santa Claus. Amazingly enough, it appeared as if the attack was actually effective as it momentarily short-circuited one of them.

"It looks like Genom didn't pass the quality test this time." Priss was over-confident for a second, which gave the other voomer enough time to react. She fought back with the extinguisher, but this time it didn't work. The people started to yell at her, that she was crazy and to get out of there. But she didn't was listening to anyone else and was too distracted by the voomer closing in on her.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!" it exclaimed with an electronic voice that seemed to come straight from hell itself.

Priss backpedaled without noticing that the whole floor was slippery because of the extinguisher's foam that she had used. She slid and fell over the lying voomer, while the one, which was stalking her, raised a double line of metallic teeth. Priss thought for a moment that that would be the last image she'd take to her grave, when suddenly a crash of broken glass distracted the monster that was over her.

"Great! This can't get any better! Being rescued by the A.D. Police!" she said with sarcasm still dripping from her voice.

A crystal rain started to fall from the sky, leaving Priss without words. A figure descended through the huge skylight that was in the high part of the mall. The light that came from the outside only let her see a silhouette until that figure jumped over the voomer with a leopard's agility. It was difficult to describe what it was, but the movements left no doubt that it was a person… and the shape seemed to show that is was a woman. The metallic white armor shone in a way that appeared to give off an aurora around it.

"Is like an angel…" Priss thought, suddenly finding a small sense of faith from the stark image before her.

The "angel" forged a knife from its right arm and pierced the voomer, drawing forth a deafening shriek in the process. The armored figure inserted its hand into the voomer's insides, overturned for a few seconds until it pulled out the beast's still throbbing heart and crushed it with her hand. Priss couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"So, the heart is the weak point…" Priss was making her conclusions without noticing that the voomer she was over was awakening. The woman in the armor hurled down towards Priss, taking her away from danger and then hurtled back to the voomer to perform the same purifying ritual as she did with the other. The remaining voomer was in the midst of a very unsettled stage of transformation.  It closed in on the warrior attempting a brute attack.  However, her reflexes were more than up to the task at hand and quickly pierced it with her sword before the beast close the gap.

The A.D. Police's helicopters were now flying overhead and some officers repelled down through the broken skylight… just in time to find that there was nothing more to do.

The warrior unfolded a pair of wings from her back and with a short blast left the same way she entered. The three mechanical Santa Clauses were lying in the middle of the whole mess. Close by was the dead body of the security officer. The fire alarm started to sound as a soft drizzle began to fall, mixed with snow that was now filtering through the opened ceiling. The hysteric masses calmed down some but were still generally horrified by the incidents. The mall's doors opened and the media flooded the halls, while the officers were making a cordon around the disaster zone. 

"You must move Miss." The officer who was next to Priss was trying to warn her that the place must be evacuated. But Priss was still not moving, all soggy, gazing above without listening to anyone or anything else but the sounds of the battle she had just witnessed. She was wondering where the woman in the shining armor could have gone. Had she been real or just a hallucination? She lowered her sight and when she saw the smashed voomers she was convinced that the metallic angel had really been there after all. Despite all the chaos around her, Priss left the place ignoring the cops and paramedics who asked her about her condition.

There was someone in Tokyo with the power to destroy the voomers and leave the police in ridicule... someone as thirsty for revenge and violence as her… someone without fear and ready for anything. Was she an angel or a demon?  To Priss, it didn't really matter…

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

"The damage caused by the three unleashed voomers in the Akihabara district Mall in Tokyo was considerable and left one fatality…"

"Anya, come see this!" Nicolas Romanova turned up the TV's volume to better hear the shocking news.

_"The intervention of a mysterious armored person that stopped the three machines generated…"_

"What the hell!"

"It seems like the transmission was cut off," added Anya while she took the remote to check if the other channels still had a signal. When she saw that all the other stations were transmitting without a problem, she put the news on again to see what had happened.

A message saying "Technical Difficulties – Please Stand By" appeared on the screen and stayed that way for almost a full minute. When the transmission finally returned, there was another reporter and the news took a little unexpected twirl.

_"The Santa Claus voomers that sadly lost their control yesterday in the Akihabara commercial district were stopped thanks to the intervention of the A.D. Police. There was only one fatality. The reason for this tragedy isn't clear yet. However, Genom is investigating the facts…"_

"Well, at least the A.D. Police got the situation under control," Nicolas was assured while scratching his head, trying to understand the whole thing.

"But I don't get why they had the wrong facts to start with," added his wife.

"What makes you think that the first news was really the fake one? You can't trust in anything and anybody these days…"

"Whatever. Tokyo is even worse though. You can't even go to a mall without one of those things going mad. It's a shame that Nene hadn't seen the news so she could understand why we don't want her to go alone to Tokyo."

"Where is she?" asked Nicolas, suddenly feeling strange that his daughter wasn't hovering around the table since it was so close to lunchtime.

"In her bedroom.  I'll go wake her up now."

Anya walked quietly to her daughter's room. The small amount of light that was filtering through the blinds allowed her to see without needing to turn on the lights. The computer was running and on the bed, Nene's curled body was sleeping deeply under the blankets. Her mother sat down at her side and started to talk in order to wake her up. But when she didn't get any immediate answer, she tapped her daughter's back. There she found something very strange. Nene's back seemed to be a little too fluffy.  She instantly knew that something wasn't quite right. She threw off the blankets and found out a huge teddy bear in place of her daughter. Desperate, she looked towards the computer monitor and finally noticed the screensaver that was running. It was a little avatar with Nene's shape and a looping message.   She nervously approached the screen in order to read it. _"Don't worry about me, I'm in __Tokyo__ right now." _

Anya knew her daughter was stubborn and that it wouldn't be easy to change her mind, but she never thought that Nene would actually run away from home. She felt angry, not at Nene, but with herself. She felt as if she had somehow failed in her motherly role and had made her daughter flee… or maybe the worse mistake that they made was underestimating her.

She slowly walked down the stairs without paying any attention to her husband.

"Anya, what's wrong?" He turned off the TV when he saw his wife so quiet.

"Nene's gone."

"What do you mean "gone"?"

"Nene… Nene's gone to Tokyo.  She ran away while we were sleeping.  She left a message on her computer." Anya slumped down in front of Nicolas.

"That brat is going to pay for this!"

"Do you think that we did something wrong? Maybe we didn't want to admit that Nene had grown up, that she needs her space…"

"Don't be silly!"

"Do you want to go to Tokyo to find her?"

"No, we'll wait for a day. We'll see how she does by herself." The man turned on the TV again and continued watching the news. But even if he wanted to ignore it, the concern was still present on his face.

Anya couldn't understand her husband's stance. She knew that Nene was a smart girl and under normal circumstances would know how to manage by herself.  However, she was in danger from too many things in a strange city.

"Nicolas! She's only a child! I won't be able to rest knowing she's alone so far from home."

"Do whatever you want! But that young lady owes me one heck of an explanation when she comes back."

*****

She wasn't afraid or nervous, on the contrary, she felt overflowed with a sense of calm and security that she had never felt before. It was the first time Nene had made a decision completely outside of anyone else's influence.  She felt she was taking a giant step forward and couldn't possibly go back now.  If she did, it would make her decision a failure. While Nene pondered those thoughts, the blond teenager absently watched the landscape through the _shinkansen_'s window.  Her first idea was to take the space shuttle to Tokyo.  However, the money she saved up wasn't enough, so she had to conform her budget to the train fare instead. In any event, by the time her parents found out she was gone, she would already be in Megalocity far away from home and ready to start a new life.

*****

Priss was watching the news, hoping to find some information about the mysterious apparition in the mall. She found it somewhat strange that all the news programs completely ignored the incident, minimizing the causes and consequences. However, she remembered that it was always the same in that the news never seemed to tell the real story.  But this time she had been there, immersed in that hell… a hell that only the divine intervention of that metal angel had saved her from.

How was it possible for a human being to fight like that? Was it really a person or was it some kind of secret Genom experiment instead? The TV was only showing trivial news now and Priss was ready to turn it off when a knock on her trailer's door suddenly distracted her. She didn't expect any visitors and even less at high noon. Nigel was working and the band wasn't in the city.

"Who is it?" she asked while laying her ear on the door.

"Special delivery for Priscilla S. Asagiri."

She immediately recognized Maxon's badly disguised voice and Jaid's barely contained laughter. She opened the door with her characteristic bored face, a curse ready to fly out of her mouth. 

"Just what the hell are you two doing here?"

"Geez, nice welcome…" protested Maxon.

"You're supposed to be away with your families anyway, and…" Priss wanted to continue her protest but had to stop when she saw what both of them were holding. 

"When you didn't open your door right away we thought for a moment that that you were busy with your boyfriend," added Jaid with a nervous laugh.

"Idiots!"

"Hey, Priss. If you don't mind, can we come in and put this down?" Maxon was obviously growing tired.  He carried an old style computer monitor in his arms.  Priss knew the weight had to be very uncomfortable. Jaid carried the cpu under his arm, but it's lighter weight seemed to not be bothering him nearly as much.

Priss let them come in even though she had no idea why they were doing this.

"Here you go. This is our Christmas present!" Maxon said while he was looking for an empty spot to put the monitor down.

"And you owe us 100,000 yen!" added Jaid.

"Idiots! If I would have known that you were getting a computer for me I wouldn't have risked my butt in that damned mall…"

"Well if you don't want it we'll take it. Surely we can find somebody who'll want to buy it. And besides, since when do you frequent the malls?" Maxon inquired while he was looking through her rather large mess for an electrical outlet of some type.

"No, I'll keep it! But are you serious about the 100,000 yen?"

"Do I look like Santa Claus to you?"

"We can give you a discount if you want." Jaid looked at Maxon and winked at him.

Maxon thought for a moment, pretending to count in his mind.

"Fine, but only because it's for you Priss, you can have it for 60,000."

"Fucking son of bitch! You wanted to charge me almost double!"

"Heh heh, take it easy! But if you want an Internet connection, you'll have to pay extra."

Jaid looked at him annoyed and hit him with an elbow to make him reconsider the abuse he was giving Priss.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? …Alright then, Internet connection for free. You want it?"

Priss thought for a moment. It was free so she couldn't complain. And it would be a good tool. She was tired of depending on others to use the Internet, or even worse having to pay a cyber cafe to check her e-mail. Her face lightened even more when she realized that through the net she might be able to get at the information she wanted.

"Yeah, it's okay."

"Well, let's get to work then."

"By the way, you didn't tell me just why you're here instead of at your homes." Priss went to the kitchen to make some hot coffee.  She figured the day would be a long one and the trailer was turning into a freezer.

"It's a funny story. We were on the way to our town when we stopped and met a guy who was selling some stuff," Jaid started to talk while he was watching Maxon making the whole arrangement into a workable stack.

"And among all the junk he had lying around, we found this computer. We fetched it for a good price too," added Maxon.

"So we decided to bring it to you now since it wasn't so comfortable traveling with this big thing."

Priss gave them the coffee after Maxon had finished with the connections. Next he had to start on the most painstakingly difficult part… installing the necessary software to make the whole thing work. There was much for her band mates to do with the computer.  So instead of simply sitting by idly, Priss decided to use the time to write some ideas for a new song.

*****

Within an oversized office in the Genom tower, Brian J. Mason sat in front of an equally oversized window while sifting through information on the Internet about the incident of the previous day.  The fact that one news channel had mentioned the being in the hard suit made him slightly uncomfortable. Even though the situation was now under control and the needed measures had been taken with the mass media, the net was still an unruly world. He visited several news sites but had to make use of every little unorthodox method to find what he looking for.

"The Knight Sabers Return!" was at the top of one site… a site that had an update date of December 22, 2038. 

"Very interesting…" he spoke to himself while navigating the other links and reading the entire article in painstaking detail. That site luckily wasn't public.  It turned out to be a community that only members could gain access to the information contained inside. Mason knew quite a bit about hacking since it was a very useful tool in manipulating the various pieces of his real life chess game.  He decided that it would be 'beneficial' to leave a little present for all the Knight Sabers' fans, especially since there were almost 800 of them on the site he was picking through at the moment. He carefully installed a virus on the server so that everyone who entered in that community would be infected with a little cybernetic chaos. Not only would it erase all the e-mail accounts and data of the users, but also the whole hard disk would be emptied in a few seconds. That was as much as Mason could do for the moment. He couldn't destroy the Knight Sabers, but he could certainly ruin their followers.

A call on the intercom distracted from his work, but he wouldn't postpone the malice in his mind for that. After all Rosenkrauzt could wait.  He knew perfectly well what the old man would ask him and he already had the answers to his questions set in his mind. The most important thing was that his suspicions weren't wrong and after almost a year of silence the warriors had returned to stick their noses where they didn't belong. 

*****

Tokyo could be paradise or hell at the same time… just like any other big city.  Those who visited such a metropolis for the first time couldn't help but feel overwhelmed from the technological display. 

As soon as the girl left the station, she found herself in the middle of a street surrounded by people who seemed like nothing more than robots.  Strangely the voomers appeared much more human-like than their organic originals. Nene Romanova couldn't prevent the brief wish to be home again with her parents. But it was too late now; the first step was taken.  Now she had the bigger task to take on next. 

She carried with her a little computer with all of Megalocity's maps and its different districts.  She looked in her database for the precise location of the A.D. Police building.  According to the information she had, she wasn't very far from there. In fact, she was close enough to walk... 

*****

The Silky Doll had been closed for an hour now. Sylia was in the midst of taking a restoring shower after a long day of work.  However, the day's activities weren't over just yet.  There was something more waiting for her to do. She still needed to continue the work on the hardsuits and analyze the recording from the incident at the mall. It was her lone opportunity to observe Priss in action and to once again see the stupefied expression on her face. Without even planning it, she had wound up becoming the center of attention of her prey for a few precious moments. Sylia couldn't help but ask herself what might be going on inside of Priss' head.  She knew that the moment to catch her was near, but she also knew she still needed to wait a little longer.  But Sylia needed to be ready.  Experience taught her that the right time might come when she least expected it.

The vapor that was generated by the hot water fogged over the surface of the glass.  That coupled with her momentary distraction made it practically impossible for Sylia to notice the outline vaguely revealed through the shower. She was ready to wash her hair when she realized that she had left the shampoo bottle outside. She slid the screen door to grab the bottle when she was suddenly invaded by a mix of fright and surprise, finding herself in front of a person who had been waiting there for a couple of minutes. 

"Nigel! What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" The man finished taking off what little clothes he still had on to enter in the shower.

His sudden appearance coupled with his aggressive attitude completely disoriented Sylia. But she didn't really care why he acted this way. Her look of surprise immediately changed to a more playful one as she scooted to one side to let him in. 

Sylia grabbed the forgotten shampoo from the floor and slowly closed the screen. 

"So…did you get any information on Priss?" she asked in a casual way while opening the shampoo bottle to pour some into her hand. 

"I told you I don't want to get involved with that."

"I'm not asking you to offer her a job as a Knight Saber.  The only thing you have to do is guide her to me," she continued while massaging her head gently, lifting her arms up in a very deliberate manner.

"And why do you think she'll trust me?" Nigel didn't understand Sylia's obstinacy with involving him. Was it possible that she knew about the relationship he shared with Priss…after all she had a very special ability to get all kinds of information. However, if she was even the least bit aware of their relationship, Nigel knew her reaction would be very different. 

"I don't know…maybe it's your charm…" Sylia felt a slight agitation from some shampoo entering her eyes. Nigel carefully removed the offending lock of hair, which was causing her discomfort.  Sylia took advantage by turning his hand and kissing his palm, not so subtly trying to convince him to 'help' a little more.

"I'll see what I can do, but I won't guarantee anything."

Soon she stepped under the shower to rinse out her hair. While the water was falling down on her head, she felt Nigel's arms wrapping around her from behind.

"You don't need my help, you can do it all by yourself. Anyway, you've got much more charm than I do," Nigel whispered in her ear, while his hands started to softly flow across Sylia's figure.

*****

It was late at night when Jaid and Maxon finally left after spending the whole day assembling the computer for Priss.  After they configured the Internet connection, they used it to check their own e-mail. Priss really felt relieved when they left.  It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being with her friends, but she more wanted to be alone with her brand new purchase in order to discretely access the Internet.

Before plopping herself in front of the computer, she looked for an_ udon_ soup and put it in the microwave. She was hungry and something hot would suit her wonderfully because of the cold conditions in the trailer. While she waited for the soup to heat up, she decided to check her e-mail and found several unread messages.  Several were from some Takeshi person. The microwave ring warned her that the soup was ready.   She took it out and opened it smelling the bouillon's aroma. She looked for the _ohashi_ and returned to the monitor to continue. She didn't exactly know how her fans were able to get her e-mail address. It was bothersome to receive unsolicited e-mail from them. Once she finished the e-mail routine, she started the search for her real interest. However, it appeared that no one mentioned the incident at the mall, including completely ignoring the armored person's appearance. 

Just when she was ready to give up, she stumbled upon a site's headline that read "The Knight Sabers Return!" and further talked about the incident from the day before and showed a lower quality picture of the hardsuit. When she clicked on the link, she discovered the access reserved only for registered members. She thoughtlessly filled out the form with all her data and once she was returned the authorization she tried to enter again. However, when she finally entered, she was surprised to find a nearly blank screen.  The only visible message suggested a server problem… until the screen suddenly turned totally black with only a single flickering word: "deleting".

"What the fuck!" Priss was scared and she didn't know what to do.  The only thing she could think of was to turn off the computer. She waited for a while and then turned it on again. However, nothing appeared on the screen.  The monitor flickered for a couple of seconds, and a short but simple message appeared: "Hard disk successfully formatted, please install an operating system." Priss wasn't a genus with computers but she knew enough to understand what that meant.

"Shit!" She was ready to punch her fist through the monitor but stopped when she realized that it wasn't the machine's fault. She had made the mistake herself somehow.   The only thing she did was connect to the Internet. If her deductions weren't wrong, entering that site had started the chaos. And the worse thing of all was that only Jaid and Maxon had the installation disks for the operating system and the other software as well.  So now she had to wait for their return to use her computer again. But…what the hell could that site have had?  Surely it was a virus, but why would someone put a virus in a community like that? It meant that many others were in the same situation as her… or even worse. And the most important question still remained unanswered… who were the Knight Sabers?

Priss turned off the computer.  It was amazing how the work of a whole day could disappear in a few seconds. She lay down on the bed to think for a bit. What she had discovered made her curiosity even stronger. However, she was too tired to continue thinking and she soon handed over her mind to the exhaustion that was dominating her body. 

*****

That night, Sylia had to make some unexpected twists in her plans. The hardsuits could wait.  Even Priss could wait for one more day.  After all, being with Nigel was more pleasant than anything else.  His unexpected visit in the shower and all that came after was something she never imagined as a possibility with him. 

Dressed only in silence, they rested in each other's arms for a long time, sharing in each other's comfort.  In an instant the quietness was disturbed when Sylia found the resolve to bring up a topic still simmering in her mind.

"And …have you decided what you'll do on Christmas?"

"I told you that I had other plans."

"More important than me?" 

Nigel was silent, looking sideways at her and noticing a certain fear laced in her eyes. He could perfectly understand Sylia's fears and her terrific need of not being alone, mostly because deep down he shared those fears with her. But how could he explain to her that his other "plans" involved the woman that obsessed both of them, the prey she hunted and almost had in her claws. Nigel turned over to be above her and gave her a kiss, trying to distract her from the present concerns. He still had one card up his sleeve.  If he used it, he would know what really was in Sylia's heart and maybe the answer wouldn't have to be of his own will. 

"Sylia…if I drop my plans and spend Christmas with you…"

"Yes…" Sylia looked for his lips to continue their momentarily interrupted kiss. Nigel sat up slightly and gazed into her eyes.

"… please don't ask me to recruit Priss any more." He bent over again and continued their kiss.

"What!" Sylia exclaimed while pushing him away. "Are you blackmailing me?" Her question had no answer. "Well, after all, I guess I don't need your help to recruit anybody.  I could do it by myself.  But...spending Christmas without you…"

Nigel had won this round.  Sylia had chosen him and that calmed his nerves somewhat. However, in his heart he wished for the exact opposite.

"But… would you tell me why you don't want to have any kind of dealings with that girl?" Sylia could tell something was hidden deep within Nigel's decisions.

"Simply that I don't want to be part of something crazy. I believe that what happened a year ago is enough to not make the same mistakes."

She lay next to him in silence.  The mere mention of that not too distant past had effectively paralyzed her and she much preferred to continue enjoying the present… and to keep the demons that were trying to torture her bottled up. 

Not agreeing to help Sylia was something that Nigel knew wouldn't cause her to forget her plans… he knew that all too well. Priss would still be her prey until Sylia finished with her task. But at least he was out of the game before it began and his conscience will be more relieved…  but not entirely clear either. He knew it wouldn't be easy to invent a good excuse for Priss and tell her that he would not spend Christmas with her.  But he had to find a way to console her and compensate her. 

_"Forgive me Priss," was the last thought that crossed Nigel's mind while he started to make love to Sylia once again._

*****

The apartment was small but it felt cozy. It was her home… Nene's **own** home. Well, actually the A.D. Police had assigned it to her, but at least it was earned on her own merit anyway.

It wasn't too difficult to find the Totem pole since her mini computer guided her. Once there, she made her presence known and was taken in front of her superior.  There she was given a uniform and the keys to her new home. She would start work the next day at the top of the morning. She couldn't help but feel eager and nervous at the same time.

The place had very basic furniture.  She quickly decided that after she cashed her first paycheck, she would start to make some changes in the decor.  She went to the room that from now on would be her bedroom.  Nene parked her things in the closet and put her weasel on the bedside table. She plopped down on the bed and was immediately struck by the different feel.  She longingly thought back to her soft mattress at home. Nene couldn't help but think of her parents. Surely they would be angry and worried. She felt the urge to call them, at least to tell them that everything was okay. However, she managed to restrain herself for now.  She wouldn't call them this night since they must learn the lesson first. They needed to see reality and accept that their daughter was an adult now. 

*****

Only one day remained before Christmas Eve and the city seemed to be overblown with bedlam. Everybody was doing their last minute shopping and it was almost impossible to simply walk on the streets.  Priss really hated that kind of congestion so she opted to work from home. She had called Nigel to tell him that she wouldn't be out, but that she would still spend Christmas with him the next day. She had to leave a message on the answering machine since Nigel wasn't at home for some unknown reason. That was another thing that she hated too, talking with a machine. 

The cold was intense and the trailer seemed to be turning into a fridge. The heating system wasn't working very well so she was forced to wrap herself tightly in blankets.  She also made some hot coffee while she continued to write down the ideas that were swirling around in her mind, perhaps some of them eventually growing into new songs. While a melody was playing itself in her head, she decided to capture it on the stave sheet before her memory decided to throw it away.  She spent the whole day buried in her work.  In her brief moments of distraction, her mind transported herself again to the mall at the exact moment where the metal angel descended through the skylight.  A warning from her stomach signaling lunchtime finally interrupted her thoughts.  Thus she left her songs and distractions behind to go try and scare up some food.

*****

The cold morning of December 24th had dawned darkly because of the clouds that covered the sun. The snow had started to slowly fall since the first hours and everything suggested that without doubt this would be a white Christmas. 

Nene had to go to work but she only had to stay until noon and luckily had the next day off. She felt proud wearing her police uniform and she thought that her parents would be very happy if they could see her dressed like that. She decided that she would call them tonight, as she didn't want to put off any longer the call that she knew she had to make since arriving in Tokyo. The least she could do was greet them for Christmas.

She sat bored in front of her monitor.  Nothing interesting was happening and she hadn't struck up any conversations with any of her new co-workers yet. So she decided to make use of her "ability" to kill the weariness.  Her idea was to access her computer back in Nagoya.  However, it had nothing to do with being a hacker… it simply involved the common ability to have remote access from any machine to her own. She wanted to know if there had been any "unusual" activity in her things, but she found everything in order. When the worst was over, she would go back home for a visit and then she'd take her computer.  Her excuse would be that that she missed it and for the moment she didn't have enough money to buy a new unit. 

Once she finished checking everything, she continued poking around the network.  She managed to casually enter the A.D. Police's server, which in theory she hadn't been granted access to yet. She was surprised to find all records for the voomer incidents from the last two months. The incident that most caught her attention was the one that happened only two days ago, the same day she arrived in Tokyo. The weirdest thing she found was that there were two versions of the same event.  In the official record, the A.D. Police had gained control over the situation.  In the other version however, things happened in a very different way.  It mentioned the intervention of an unknown person using a very high tech hardsuit who managed to completely destroy the mad voomers before the A.D. Police could even get to the scene. In that same file, there were two communications from Genom labeled as "urgent".  Those messages forbid the public disclosure of any kind of mention of the unknown person who interfered in the incident.  Those who didn't follow that order would be punished 'appropriately'.

Nene knew that not only had she entered the main server that she wasn't supposed to be in, but she had infringed on high security protocols. That meant that the system either had a lot of bugs… or somebody had shutdown the firewall to enter, carelessly leaving the door open in the process. That further meant that she wasn't alone in the server and her presence could be discovered at any moment. 

She quickly backtracked, deleting any record of her presence and returned back to her earlier activity. After all, it wasn't a good idea to be fired on her second day of work.

Before she knew it, time was flying and she was surprised to find her shift already over. She picked up her stuff and was ready to go.

She was trying to find enough strength to call her parents when she got home.  Before that Nene remembered she needed do some shopping first.  After all, she couldn't live forever eating fast food alone. That concern distracted the teenager just at the right moment when she was crossing the main hall to walk out of the Totem pole.  Because of that, she didn't notice a tall and tough figure that was standing near the door chatting with someone else. Nene was walking with her head down, patterning her thoughts with the floor design that attracted her so much.  Suddenly her head collided with something very hard. 

"Hey, what the…!?!"  The tall and tough figure exclaimed, turning his head around to see what had bumped into him. 

Nene looked straight up and found a very good-looking guy with a dark complexion who gazed down at her confused.

"I'm sorry! It's just…" The young girl didn't know what to say. 

"Are you blind?!" The man was ready to yell at her, but when he saw the very red face of the girl, he changed his attitude. 

The man at his side adjusted his glasses with one finger while he tried to hide the laugh that was threatening to burst out.

"I'm so sorry! It wasn't my intention…" Nene felt very ashamed.  She was new there and didn't want to be treated like a fool.

"It's okay, no problem. What's your name?" The man changed his facial expression to a kinder one.

"Nene Romanova."

"You're new here, right?"

"Yes, it's my second day."

"Detective Leon McNichol.  Nice to meet you officer Romanova," he added while trying to express himself in a more friendly way by extending his hand towards her. 

"Pleased to meet you…Detective McNichol."

"But you can call me Leon." The young man shook Nene's hand with vigor and winked at her. 

"Leon!" The man at his side caught his attention.

Leon stepped aside to introduce his partner while still holding the girl's hand. "And this is my partner detective Daley Wong."

Nene felt uncomfortable and tried to let go of his hand, but she didn't want to be rude either. When Leon noticed that he still was holding Nene's hand, he released it quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Well, we are new too.  We started here two weeks ago. If you want, maybe we could go out to lunch together."

"I'm sorry, but I'm short of time now.  Maybe another day would be nice though," Nene was almost running to the door, trying to get away from the embarrassing situation.

"OK Nene, see you around. And…Merry Christmas!"

"Goodbye! Merry Christmas to you too!" The young girl picked up the pace and was out on the street in a flash.

"Leon, Leon…What'll I do with you?" Daley put his hand on his partner's shoulder while showing a resigned face for such behavior.

"Come on Daley! Even if she's just a girl, it's still worth a try." Leon scratched his head while he followed the blond haired girl with his eyes.  However, she quickly became lost among the growing lunchtime crowd.

Nene wasn't accustomed to such agglomeration.  In Nagoya there were many people too, but Tokyo was sheer pandemonium compared to her hometown. Everything could be found here. She was still bothered by her encounter with the detectives.  It was the first contact she had had with someone besides her superiors. She had to admit that both of them were very handsome, but she wasn't used to that kind of treatment since she had been very shy with the boys back at her school.

She bought just enough provisions to last for a few days and went to her home ready to make the overdue call to her family. She entered the building carrying the shopping bags and traveled up the elevator.  When she reached her floor she immediately recognized a very familiar woman standing in front of her apartment's door.

"Mom?!" Nene's exclamation was almost a sigh.  At the same time, she let the bags in her arms fall to the ground.

When her mother saw her, she ran up to hug her. Nene stood motionless without even reacting to the woman's effusive demonstration.

"What's wrong honey?" Anya stepped aside surprised by the chilly reception from her daughter.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to be make sure you were fine. Look at you!  This uniform suits you wonderfully!" The woman stepped aside to gaze at her daughter's one-piece attire. 

"How did you get here?" Nene asked without showing any kind of emotion.

"I asked for your address at the A.D. Police."

Nene opened the apartment's door and invited her mother to come in. Anya entered while looking at everything around her. In absolute silence, Nene went to the kitchen and put away the things she had bought. Her mother couldn't stop watching her as she would not let herself believe that her daughter was living alone in this place.

"Are you happy Nene?"

The teenage girl watched her mother out of the corner of her eye.  She was angry and she didn't exactly know why. But deep in her heart she knew that it was completely normal that her mother was worried about her, and she did feel somewhat relieved that she was there. But she would never admit that to her mother.

"Yes, I'm happy."

Anya hugged her, feeling more relieved by her daughter's assurances. For a very long time she tried to prepare herself for the moment in which she must let her daughter be free.  At last the moment had come. Now the only thing that she wanted to know was if the little girl she still couldn't see as a woman was simply fine with that freedom. And if Nene was fine, Anya would be fine too.

"That's the only thing I want to know."

"How is dad?"

"A little bit angry, but he'll be fine soon. Y'know how he is."

Nene got ready to make lunch, but since she didn't want to show her mother that she knew nothing about cooking she took out some instant rice with curry from the fridge and put it on the microwave instead. Anya took a seat while her daughter was preparing the table.

"Are you staying here or going back to Nagoya?" Nene asked, sitting down in front of her mother, while waiting for the rice to finish cooking. 

"I have to go back home or your father will never forgive me," she said with a hint of a joke to her voice.  Her face turned serious as she looked back up into her daughter's eyes though.  "Nene, do you want to come back with me?"

"But…"

"You can take a flight tomorrow and you could come back to Tokyo quickly. And as far as the money is concerned, don't worry about that. Consider it a Christmas present."

"That sounds good," Nene smiled back towards her mother trying to cheer her up. However, Nene wasn't sure in her inside, she understood the concern that her parents feel for her…and it wasn't fair that they don't spend the Christmas together…but it was as they didn't get the message and one more time they want to control her life. She would access this time because was about a special occasion, but she must be ready for whatever would be waiting for her at home.

The microwave announced with a whistle that lunch was done. Nene served the rice and both of them started to eat. Through the window, the sky grew dark as the snow that had stopped for a couple of hours began to fall softly again.

*****

It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon by the time Priss finally woke up. She had practically slept the whole day and she didn't have any idea what time it really was. She wrapped herself up with blankets so she could stay warm.  For the moment, she let herself be ruled by the intense tiredness that had nearly overwhelmed her for the last several days. 

When she finally found the motivation to get up and make some coffee, she found the light on her answering machine blinking.  She realized she must have been sleeping very deeply to not hear the phone ringing in her small trailer. Before she played the message, Priss remembered she had forgotten her cell phone had been turned off from the night before. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she turned it on and found a message waiting there for her as well. 

While she poured her coffee, Priss tried to listen to her message. However, her cell phone's battery was almost dead. She had forgotten to recharge it for several days, so she instead decided to hear the message on the regular phone first.  When she pushed play on the machine, she instantly recognized Nigel's voice… and felt a little bit anxious as a result.

"Hi Priss, I don't know where you're at right now. I've been trying to call you on your cell phone and at home, but you're not answering.  Well I hope you hear this in time… tonight I won't be at home, something came up very suddenly. I'm sorry.  I know I promised you that we would spend Christmas together… Well, that's all. Take care. Bye."

Priss continued to drink her coffee as the message didn't disturb her from that activity at least.  She put the cup down and started to charge her cell phone, hoping to find something different on the message there. In the meantime, she tried to not be worried.  After all, that would make it just another night anyway and she didn't really care about any special meal in any event. The cell phone finished its rapid charge and Priss found the message there was from Nigel as well. When she heard it, she verified the contents to still be the same as the other message. She decided to call the garage but received no answer.  It quickly became evident that Nigel had left as he had said.  She now considered herself defeated but still didn't try to let it show. Besides another lonely Christmas wouldn't bother her.  It could be worse. She was very ready to take a hot bath now.  She became determined to find a way to have fun that night no matter what. 

After the bath, she reviewed the available options to spend the night. But as she thought through her plans, she didn't want to admit it, but Priss felt hurt over Nigel's sudden decision.   The only thing that could appease the growing angry feeling was to race off on her bike and a find a couple of good beers. So without thinking twice, she mounted her bike and took off through the snow towards Hot Legs. 

In route, many images flew through her mind.  The past joined with the present to once again torture her.  All kind of questions started coming to light.  Did Nigel really love her?  Was she only someone he wanted a one-night stand with?  And more she thought, the more hurt she felt. Hiroshi had really loved her, she could be sure of that. He saved her from the solitude in the worst moment of her life.  He gave her everything she had now and had transformed her into a real woman.  Most importantly, he protected her with his own life…he died for her.  Priss felt a biting pain in her chest, as if someone had stabbed a knife in her heart.   What she just remembered was something that she tried to keep buried in her memories for the last six months. 

Rolling up to Hot Legs she noticed that her eyes were clouded with tears.  It wasn't the right moment to cry, it wasn't a moment to be sad.  But she couldn't be happy either… She parked the bike in the alley just as she always did.  She took off the helmet and rubbed her eyes to erase the trace of her incipient tears. When she entered the club, it seemed strange to find so many people there. Obviously, it wasn't as full as a normal day, but even so she expected to find the place almost empty. 

Priss went straight to the bar, ignoring the looks of recognition that immediately followed her.

"Priss, what kind of business brings you here on a night like this?" The bartender asked her, finding the presence of the young singer strange. 

"Its better if don't ask and just give me a beer instead."

"Sure thing."

The cool and sparkling beer cooled down the strong passions conflicting inside at least for a moment. The mood was nice and quiet for Hot Legs.  Even if there weren't live shows that night, the music was still pretty good. Priss finished her beer but realized that even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to take away the pain that was hitting her heart. Was it for Nigel? While she stared into the empty jug, she tried to find the real reason for her anguish. She finally decided that it was partially for Nigel, but also for Hiroshi too.  She knew that Hiroshi never would hide something from her, and he'd always be by her side.  But Nigel…it wasn't the first time he disappeared without any reason and he never gave her a real explanation for that.  Now the door to the past was opened one more time and she needed to find a way to close it again…

"You have anything stronger?"

"That all depends on what you mean by "stronger"…

"Don't complicate my life any more than it already is.  Just give me the strongest drink you have… I don't give a damn if it sets me on fire when I drink it. And in the meantime, pass me another beer." Priss extended the jug signaling her desire for more.

The last time she had called on the help of alcohol to forget her pain had been after Hiro's death.  She drank so much that she had spent a whole week in bed recovering from the hangover. This time the reasons weren't as strong, but she didn't want to face the loneliness of Christmas Eve so she preferred to evade it.  She drank her second beer while the bartender mixed a drink that looked like it might explode on the spot. 

"Here you go Priss."

"Wow and what's that supposed to be? At least I want to know how I'll die…" Priss took the glass in her right hand and spied it through the dim light.  The distinct red color… she loved it... 

"It's the strongest drink I have.  It's made of… well… maybe it's better if you don't ask…"

The determined girl drank it in one shot and immediately felt the fire burning her throat.  It felt so good though that without thinking she asked for other one.  She began to feel a buzz as if her thoughts were dissolving in some kind of nebula.  When she asked for the third drink, she started to doubt her very sanity.

"Priss, are you OK?" The bartender was a little concerned when he saw that she couldn't stay seated, laughing in a strange way. As an answer to his question, Priss fainted on the bar, still holding the glass in her hand and stammering nonsensical words. 

Priss was lost.  She wanted to move but her body wouldn't respond. Everything was spinning around her and her only wish was be able to focus her sight on something concrete.  With that, she realized her sight was clouding slowly. She had almost completely lost her sense and surrendered to the encroaching drowsiness.  But before she could even manage to do that, she felt that she was moving without thinking. The last thing that crossed her mind before fainting was a question… Whose hands were grabbing onto her and taking her away??? 

To be continued… 


End file.
